Tomorrow is just half a dream away
by Serenya
Summary: Nick and Jeff are freshmen, and soon they're going to meet the warblers. A story about friendship, love and trust. Contains angst
1. Chapter 1

**I know that I should really update my other ff instead of writing a new one, but I don't get the chapter written for any reason, and this one writes it almost by itself. :)**

**Ok, this should have been a Warblers ff, but my Niff-shipping heart took over, so this is turned into a Niff-ff with a lot of Warbler appearances. In most fanfictions that I read, the Warblers are all protective about each other, cry in front of each other and are – to keep it short – great, great friends. But let's be honest, most of the boys I know aren't like that. So I thought about how they grew so close...  
Contains angst, fluff and all the weird feelings that mess up with teenagers! ;)**

**I hope you like it!**

**I neither own Glee, any appearing characters or songs. (But I wish I would...*sigh*)**

Wes Montgomery looked down at the little white card in his hands. It was the start of a new school year. Well, in fact the lessons already started a week ago, but today was the day the freshmen moved in. They always started a week later as the older students, to keep the paper war as less exhausting as possible. Of a tradition at Dalton Academy, the juniors could volunteer on becoming mentors to the new students. Some of the seniors were also allowed to, but usually they were to busy preparing for their graduation. He had agreed to take care of two of the newbies, like most of the other juniors joining the program. It was the easiest way when each one had to look after two roommates, so the principal had distributed them the names, after the new boys got paired up.

"Hello? I'm looking for Nicholas Duval and Jeffrey..." He glanced at the card again. "Jeffrey Sterling. Nicholas, Jeffrey?"

A small boy with brunette hair walked towards him. "I'm Nick Duval.", he introduced himself without really looking at Wes. "I don't like to be called Nicholas, so if you don't mind..." His voice faded with every word, so he fell silent before he even finished the sentence. Wes smiled encouragingly.

"Nick, then! I'm Wes. Wesley Montgomery, but I don't like my name either." He winked and continued looking around. "So, we have to find your roommate. His name is..."

"Jeff, and it's me!" A blonde boy appeared out of nowhere, a beaming smile all over his face. "I can't believe I'm finally here, I was so nervous!" He giggled, and Wes couldn't help but smile about the bubbly behavior of the other boy. He seemed to be fun to be around.

Wes repeated his own name, then offered the boys to show them the way to their dorm. "I know, this school is like a labyrinth at first, but you'll get used to it!", he promised on their way. "If you have any questions or problems you can always come to me. I'm your mentor for the whole year."

"Well, thanks then!" Jeff replied, while Nick just quickly smiled at the older, Asian boy before he looked down again. To Wes, the boy seemed really tiny, skinny and pale. His inner alarm began to ring. He'd been long enough at Dalton, to know that many boys had a difficult past. Nick could be one of them, but maybe he was just a little shy. He mentally noted to keep an eye on the boy, just in case.

"Here we are!", he explained, while unlocking a door. "I hope you'll get along pretty well!"

"I'm sure we will... don't you think, Nick?"

"Yeah, I... I guess."

Wes smiled gently while the boys picked up their beds. "Here I got your schedules. You seem to have a lot of matching classes, so you have at least someone you know in the beginning. But I'm sure you'll fit in quickly. Now I'm gonna leave you alone for a while, but I'll come around and pick you up for lunch. Do you have any questions yet?"

The freshmen shook their had and Wes left.

"I'm like... _super exited_.", Jeff chattered and opened one of his bags. "Do you mind if I take this closet over here?"

"No, it's yours. I'm fine with this one."

"Great!" Jeff grabbed a few shirts and put them in the wardrobe. "So, Nick Duval. Tell me something about the boy I'm sharing a room with."

"What do you want to know?", Nick asked in reply. "I'm afraid I'm not that interesting.", he added with a little smile.

"Where do you come from?"

"Cincinnati, you?"

"Sarasota, Florida."

"Florida, seriously? Why would _anyone_ move to Ohio, if he lives in Florida?" Nick raised a brow, while Jeff just shrugged.

"It was my father's decision. He's been at Dalton when he was my age, and he keeps saying that this were some of the best years in his live. I'm okay with it, though. I can't be that much in the sun without getting a really bad sunburn!" He giggled again, and Nick was impressed how easy being around the blonde boy was. He wasn't one to trust people quickly, experience told him better, but he already felt that it would be hard work to keep his walls up against Jeff.

"I see, and I guess the risk of getting a sunburn is pretty low here. So maybe it's been kinda good choice for you." Nick ran a hand through his hair and a bright smile lit up his face.

Jeff threw himself on his bed, not minding that it was still covered with clothes and stuff. He grinned at Nick. "So, now, that it turned out that you're actually able to speak, which I doubted at first, you have to tell me what you people in Ohio... - Sorry, did I say something wrong?" He cut himself off, noticing how Nick's smile fell and a stressed expression took over it's place.

"Nah, I'm just tired, I guess. I was nervous myself when I arrived." The words left his lips without any hesitating. When did lying became so easy? Well, in fact he was not _really_ lying, he had been nervous and still was... but not of the same reasons as Jeff. The thing he'd worried about the most, was if Dalton really was going to be the save place without any bullying, that the principal had praised so much, when his mother had talked to him. Nick still didn't really believed it, since he still was in Ohio, with all it's narrow-minded people and prejudices. He maybe should have moved into another country. Florida popped up in his mind again, and he tried to focus on Jeff, who was obviously talking to him.

"Dude, did you caught a single word?" Jeff frowned.

Nick sighed quietly and shook his head with an excusing smile. "Sorry, sometimes I just space out a little, especially when I'm tired."

Jeff chuckled. "So, lessons with you should be funny. Or... oh please, tell me that you're not one of these annoying persons, who are all happy and lively in the morning."

"Don't worry, I've never been a morning person!", Nick reassured and stretched on his own bed.

"Thank god!", Jeff smirked. "Well then, let's relax until Wes shows up again. I guess the day will become pretty interesting, you could need more energy!"

"You seem to have enough for both of us!" But he already searched his Ipod and turned it on. Even if he wasn't tired at all, it would be nice to have a little break. He couldn't remember when he talked that much with someone, who wasn't a family member, the last time. It wasn't a good idea to let Jeff too close, but on the other hand they were technically living together for a while now. He had to figure out a way to keep the balance between those facts.

To his own surprise, he wanted to become friends with Jeff, but he had to remind himself that the blonde boy didn't knew anything about him. If he would, he surely won't talk to him anymore. The risk was too high, he couldn't stand losing a good friend again, just because he was who he was. Once he finished school, he would leave Ohio, then he would get the chance for a new life. But first, he had 4 long years of high school to survive.

"Nick?" He sat up startled when someone called his name and crushed his shoulder against the wall.

"Whoa, sorry! You're okay? Man, you were serious about the spacing-out-thing, weren't you?"

"Obviously!", Nick replied with a fake smile, trying hard not to panic. He had to work on this, that was for sure. His heart felt like exploding in his chest. "What did you want?"

"_I_ wanted to take you for lunch!", another voice said and Nick flinched again. He hadn't noticed Wes, who was standing in their door before. The Asian observed him with worried eyes, and Nick hurried to blend a cheerful expression onto his face, trying to cover how messed up he really was.

It seemed to work well, because neither of the boys asked any more questions. Nick sighed relieved and followed Wes into the cafeteria.

"I'll introduce you to some of my friends!", the Junior said and pointed at one table. "These two here are Nick and Jeff, my... proteges." He laughed gently. "And here we have David, Thad and Blaine. Thad is a junior like me, David and Blaine are sophomores. We all are Warblers, that's how our show choir is called."

"So you got a glee club in here? That's cool... are there special conditions to join?" Jeff beamed and rocked in his chair.

"Well, you have to audition. If you're good, you're in.", David explained instead of Wes.

"Awesome, I like this place more with every passing minute. C'mon, Nick, let's audition together! Do you sing? You look like you have a pretty voice... oh, that didn't make sense, I guess. Never mind. What do you think?"

"Oh I... I don't think I'd be good enough. But I'll come with you if you want to.", the brunette boy offered, his voice so low that no one but Jeff could understand him.

The older students couldn't help but notice how different the two boys were. Like day and night, actually. One blonde and tall, the other dark-haired and rather short, one bubbly, the other withdrawn, one making friends easy while the other one almost didn't looked at them...

"So you like Dalton, Jeff? That's fantastic. How about you, Nick?" Blaine adressed the question directly to the calmer boy, trying to integrate him a little more. He felt a bit reminded of himself when he first arrived Dalton by looking at him. The quiet voice, the way he only looked at the other students when he was sure they wouldn't catch him watching, the hesitant answers... that all seemed pretty familiar too him.

"I haven't seen that much, but I also like it." Nicks voice sounded tired, and Jeff raised an eyebrow. Why was it so hard to get more than one sentence out of the boy? In their dorm, he had opened up a little, but a few minutes later he seemed more closed as ever before.

"We can show you around!", Wes offered. "If you want to, I mean... you have the whole weekend left to explore the building, but I guess it's a lot easier if you know a few ways around here."

"Sounds great, thanks!"

"So, what do you think about my babies?", Wes asked, entering his and Thad's dorm, followed by David and Blaine.

"They should be good to handle!", David smirked, throwing himself onto Wes' bed.

The Asian frowned and sat next to him. "Are you sure? I thought it myself at first, but now I think there might be something that they are hiding!"

"Oh, c'mon, Wes..." David rolled his eyes, but was interrupted before he could mock about the overprotective behavior the Asian had when it came to other students.

"I think he's right!", Thad stated carefully. He pulled his knees to his chest and lent his back against the wall, looking on the small boy next to him. "This Nick-guy reminded me a bit of little Blaine when we saw him the first time."

Immediately all eyes were on Blaine. "I'm afraid you're right.", he sighed. "I can't say what it was, but something was up with the kid. Something dark!"

David snorted. "Blaney, don't be such a drama queen. Is that how we raised you?", he chuckled, but held up his hands and became serious after a few seconds. "I get your point, though. He was pretty quiet, but I think it's good that he has such an open nature like Jeff around. He will open up soon enough."

"I hope you're right!" Wes nodded slightly.

"Have I always been wrong?" David grinned. The three other boys immediately started to bring on examples that proofed him wrong. "Ah, shut it!"

Blaine got up slowly and went over to the door. "Let them a little time to get used to each other and the whole place. If somethings wrong we will figure it out sooner or later. There's nothing we can do at the moment. I gotta go, I have homework to do. See you guys later."

David sighed. "Wait, I'm coming with you. You really need to help me with the french essay we got to write, or I will fail this class miserably. We started lesson a week ago, and I'm already at least a month behind!" He followed the short boy out of the room.

Left behind, the two juniors looked at each other. "What do you think, Thad?", Wes asked.

"That it was a pretty good idea not to volunteer myself!", he chuckled and Wes snorted. "No, seriously. I'm with Blaine in this point, leave them a little more time before you freak out about something, that may be caused by homesickness or nervousness. But _if_ there is something and you need help, sir, let me know. I can help you raise your babies!"

Wes smirked. "Then, I guess we'll need to have a serious discussion which one of us takes the mother- and who the father-party in this parenthood."

"I'm taller, I'll be the father!" Thad covered his face with his hands to protect it as Wes threw a pillow in his direction. "Yeah, we can talk about it then. Do you think they'll audition? We could need some more voices since a lot of last years Warbler members were seniors."

"We'll see. Hey, hand me my pillow, please."

"Promise not to throw it again?"

Wes nodded and took it out of Thad's hands before he lay down and closed his eyes for a little nap.

"I feel like I'm in Hogwards!", Jeff stated while he laid his back against the head of his back. "Have you seen all these staircases and hallways and rooms where no-one expected them to be? It's awesome! I could go the same way right now and I'm sure that it would look completely different right now! Maybe we wake up tomorrow and are in a total different place, wouldn't that be awesome?"

Nick snickered as he listened to the other boy's rambling. "You're crazy, you know? I like that!" The smile fell from his face for a millisecond. He mentally slapped himself. _Great, Duval. Why don't you scream 'I'm gay' through the room? Do you want that shit to start again from the very beginning?_

Luckily, Jeff only smirks. "Yeah, people keep telling me that all the time. Hey, remember about the warblers? I really want to join them, in my old school there wasn't a glee club, and I love to sing and dance."

Nick was astonished. He always wanted to join a glee club himself, but on his school the members were outcasts, and since his school time was already a living hell, he didn't wanted to add fuel to the fire. To hear Jeff talk about it so openly, to see Wes, Thad, Blaine and David be such proud members blew his mind. Jeff was right, Dalton was in fact like Hogwards.

"I'm sure you will!", he smiled. "Do you already have an idea what you're gonna sing?"

"Kinda..." Jeff grinned and looked at Nick with puppy eyes. "Nicky...?"

Nick flinched by the use of the nickname. Was Jeff making fun of him? "Ehm... yeah?"

"I need your help. I really, _really_ need your help!"

Nick frowned. "How could I help you?"

Without a word, Jeff got up and picked up his guitar. He strummed the stings gently and looked up, smiling. "I need you to sing with me. Please, I know that it seems like I love to be in the spotlight, but I never sang a solo."

"I don't want to audition, Jeff..." Nick shifted uncomfortably.

"Then sing with me now... okay? Just to practice a little? Having fun? Pretty please?"

Nick sighed, unable to resist any longer. If he was honest, he _wanted_ to sing with Jeff, and he even _wanted_ to join the Warblers, but he still was sure that the dark side of Dalton just waited behind the next corner. This place was too good to be true. Suddenly he became aware that Jeff was watching him, still waiting for an answer.

"Okay. What song do you have in mind?"

Jeff beamed. "I couldn't have gotten any better roommate!", he stated and started to play a slow melody.

**TBC**

**So much for the beginning... what do you think? Interested in the second chapter? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the alerts and the reviews, it so amazing to know that someone is really reading what I write... makes it so much more fun. /36 :)**

**So, it's time for the next part, enjoy! :)**

"I call this Warbler meeting to order!" A loud bang made Nick flinch. He looked up startled and noticed how Wes played around with a small gavel, a serious expression on his normally so friendly face.

"Does he really have a gavel?", he whispered to Jeff, who chuckled a little bit.

"Yeah, Wes seems to be the master or something like that. If I didn't knew him I would think he is really intimidating."

"I know him, and I still think that!" Nick bit his lower lip. "And I still don't know how you made me do this with you!"

"Nick, it would be such a waste of talent if you wouldn't audition. And you know, I need you, since the song is a duet." He looked at his roommate with puppy eyes and smirked as Nick sighed quietly.

Wes knocked the gavel again against the desk.

"Freshmen Jeff and Nick, when I call a meeting to order it means that everyone is quiet. Especially those, who are here to audition!"

Thad and Kilian, the only senior in the Warbler's council, fought hard against their urge to burst out in laughter as they saw the new boys blushing deeply. Even Jeff didn't knew what to say.

"Talking about the audition..." Thad lent a little bit forwards. "We never had a pair audition for the Warblers..."

"... and traditions are sacred to us!", Kilian continued.

Wes barely managed to hide his smile as the boys became smaller and smaller with every word and decided that they'd teased them enough. "But we all decided that we're too curious to hear what you've prepared, so the floor is yours."

The boys still sat on the couch and looked at each other helplessly.

"That means you should begin to sing, gentlemen!", Thad helped them out.

Jeff finally got up and pulled a hesitating Nick behind. Wes was a bit worried that Nick wouldn't have the courage to sing in front of them all, but he wanted to give it a shot. So he smiled at the boys and waited for them to start.

_Leave me out with the waste  
this is not what I do  
it's the wrong kind of place  
to be thinking of you_

It's the wrong time  
for somebody new  
it's a small crime  
and I've got no excuse

The Warblers looked at each other as the blonde boy began to sing. His voice was full and soft as the same time, reflecting the emotions of the song pretty well._**  
**  
is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded  
is that alright? (yeah)  
if you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?  
is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded  
is that alright... with you ?_

Now Nick took a deep breath and looked at Jeff, who smiled encouragingly. _  
_

_Leave me out with the waste  
this is not what I do  
it's the wrong kind of place  
to be cheating on you _

__Nobody, except of Jeff who had heard him sing before, had supposed that his voice was so powerful. They knew him as quiet and shy, but this Nick who was standing right in front of them seemed to be another guy._  
__  
It's the wrong time  
she's pulling me through  
it's a small crime  
and I've got no excuse_

_is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded (is that alright? yeah)  
is that alright? (yeah)  
if you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it? (is that alright? yeah)  
is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded (is that alright? yeah)  
is that alright;  
is that alright with you ?_

They changed the keys, so that Nick was singing in a higher key while Jeff sang in a lower one. Wes raised a brow. If the boys had prepared that on their own, they would be just fine with the Warbler arrangements he does.

_is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded  
is that alright? (yeah)  
if you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?  
is that alright? (yeah)  
I give my gun away when it's loaded  
is that alright... with you ?_

The rest of the song they sang together in perfect harmony, their voices fitting amazingly to each other.

_is that alright? (yeah)  
is that alright  
is that alright  
is that alright with you ? (no)_

The room was quiet for a few seconds, before the boys started to applaud.

"Thanks Jeff and Nick, we will discuss your audition now. Mind to wait outside?", Kilian waved towards the door, and both boys quickly hurried out of the room.

They looked at each other, still stunned from the thrill of performing. "You were great!" Both of them said the words at the same time, so after a little confused moment they burst out in laughter.

"Well, I guess we both were great, then!", Jeff giggled.

"Let's hope that we're not the only ones who think that!"

Time went by slowly, far too slowly for the boys taste. Jeff walked up and down in the hallway, driving Nick insane.

"Man, can you just sit for a second? You're making me nervous!", he begged, and Jeff sighed.

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything. What are they doing in there so long? Is it that hard to notice how amazing our performance was?"

Nick smirked. He loved how self-confident Jeff was, or at least seemed to be. He was just about to reply, as the door opened and David left the practice room.

"So, you two, we're ready. Come in!"

Nick felt his stomach turn. He couldn't read anything in David's face. Why couldn't he gave them just a tiny, little hint? He was about to explode, he...

"Nick!" Jeff took his hand and pulled him with him. Nick totally forgot how to breathe for a moment. Jeff had _touched_ him, why would he do that?

Jeff noticed how Nick stiffened and gazed at him confused. _Man, he must be seriously nervous!_

"Nick, Jeff? Have a seat!", Thad offered politely.

"So, we finally came to an result." Kieran smiled slightly and turned to Wes.

"I love and I hate this job!", he sighed dramatically. Nick and Jeff glared at each other. They were out, they hadn't been good enough! Jeff gently squeezed Nicks hand in a comforting way and frowned as Nick turned pale within a second.

"You okay?", he whispered.

Nick smiled, but it seemed a bit forced. "Yeah, just disappointed, I guess."

"Me too!"

There was this bang again, and Jeff grinned. At least he wouldn't be forced to deal with this annoying gavel, now.

"Don't look like that. I never said that I hate it _now. _The vote was solid, your performance was amazing. Congratulations, Warbler Nick and Warbler Jeff."

"Wait... we... w... what?"

"You're in!", David cheered and hugged Jeff. Blaine turned to Nick and opened his arms, but the brunette boy just jumped. He knew that Blaine didn't wanted to harm him, but memories overflowed into his mind, no matter how hard he tried to blend them out. _Screw that, Nick. You're not there, not anymore. This is meant to be a safe place._

Blaine carefully moved closer. "Is everything okay?", he asked quietly.

"S-Sure!" There was something in Blaines eyes, as if _he knew!_ That wasn't good, not at all. _C'mon, Duval! Stop freaking out right now! Blaine don't know anything, that is just impossible. Now smile and be happy, you're a freakin' Warbler! _"I... I just can't believe it!", he added and Blaine nodded.

"Nick, we've made it! We actually _made_ it! We're... awww!" Jeff cheered out loudly. That broke the spell. Nick finally gave the news the chance to sink in and started to laugh happily.

A few hours later, Wes, Thad and sat together in their room.

"Well, who knew that out babies were really that talented?" Thad chuckled as Wes turned and raised a brow.

"_Our_ babies? I thought they were mine?"

"Oh!", That shrugged. "I guess I kinda adopted them, if you don't mind!"

"I am the father!", Wes stated and crawled onto Thad's bed. "And I have a brilliant idea! You know that we hadn't had a Warblers party since... I don't know, but for far too long."

"We hadn't had that much to celebrate!" Thad tilted his head and smirked as he started to figure out Wes' plan.

"But today..."

"...we won two new members!"

"And we should help them getting to know the others better."

"And the best way we can do that..." The boys grinned at each in excitement other before Wes continued.

"... is to throw a Warbler's party!"

Thad clapped his hands. "Is tomorrow too soon? I mean, if we go for next week's Saturday, we have to wait for _eight_ days!"

"Nah, I can't do this to you. Tomorrow is fine."

Thad already had his cellphone in his hands and was typing wildly. Wes grinned and took out his own to call David.

"Dude, you need to come over right... what? I'm not interested in what you was about to do. I want to see you and Blaine in five minutes... well, wake him up! Gosh, David, I swear... five minutes, no second longer. We have a party to plan!"

"We made it, we made it, we made it..." Jeff was still singing happily, repeating those three words over and over again. He knew that most of his friends in Florida would have made him shut up at least 30 minutes ago, but Nick only rolled his eyes smiling. The amount of patience that boy had was astounding. He was absolutely becoming his best friend, Jeff was sure about that point.

"So, what is the thing with you?", Nick asked after a while. "You're actually nothing but a really tall five-year-old, aren't you?"

Jeff tried to shoot a_ 'bitch, please!'_ look at his roommate, but failed miserably because there was no way he could banish that goofy smile out of his face. Not even for a second. "I don't know, maybe, but... we made it, we made it!"

Nick chuckled softly and turned a page in the book that he was reading, blending out the other boy's rambling. Soon he was completely into the story, walking through Narnia in his mind, so he didn't noticed when Blaine walked in.

"Nick, hey!" A pillow was thrown against his head. Nick tried hard not to scream in horror. He gazed at the other boys furiously.

"Damn, do you think that's funny?", he hissed, throwing it back towards the boys.

"Actually I did, yes!" Blaine answered, sharing a confused look with Jeff. "Sorry, I didn't wanted to scare you, but it was like you were numb. Seriously, dude, how can someone be so far away that he don't hear others calling his name?"

"He spaces out every now and then! Seems weird in the beginning, but you get used to it pretty quickly.", Jeff explained with a soft smile and winked at Nick.

"Enough about that!" Nick grinned halfheartedly. "Just tell me why you disturbed me battling the white witch..."

He was interrupted by loud laughter. "What? Gosh, Nick, you have far too much fantasy for your own good!"

"Shut up, Blaine!" Nick became annoyed. Who was this boy to act like he knew anything about him? And wasn't it his own thing to decide if he stayed in the real world, which was a pretty crappy place to him, or mind-wandered through a beautiful, magical place like Narnia? "Now spit it, what do you want?"

"Well, since you two are Warblers now, we wanted to invite you to your first, official, _mind-blowing_ Warbler's party!" Blaine voice got a little high pitched in excitement, and it seemed like he was fighting hard to keep himself from jumping up and down like a little child. Jeff, of course, showed a pretty similar behavior.

"A party? Really? Aw, that's so great. When is it? And where? And do I..."

"On step a time!", Blaine interrupted the blonde boy. "It's tomorrow, it's in our practice room and you don't need to do anything except bringing you and your roomie and having fun."

"I'm in!" Jeff beamed all over the face. "You, Nick?"

"Sure!"

"Great. I'm gonna leave you alone, then... there's still a lot work to do. Warbler parties are like... well, you'll see that tomorrow."

"Jeff..." Nick frowned and looked at his roommate. "Is it just me, or is he crazy? Maybe all the Warblers are. Where did we brought us into?"

"I would say: Into a lot of fun!" Jeff tilted his head and observed his wardrobe. "We don't need to wear our uniforms for a party, don't you think?"

"No, I don't... what? Argh, I never really know how to answer these negated questions. What I wanted to say is that you are right. Why do you ask?"

"Because we, gentleman, _you_..." A finger pointed towards Nick. "... and me are going to look amazing tomorrow. If we can't prepare anything for the party, we have to prepare ourselves. Do you know yet what you gonna wear?"

"Don't know... jeans and a shirt, I think."

Jeff snorted. "C'mon, Nick. It's out first party here, be a little more creative."

"What's wrong with that? I didn't said that I'm going in my pajamas!"

"Well, _that_ would be creative, but I don't think it would be a good idea either." His voice sounded like he was suppressing laughter. Nick let his childish side win for once and stuck out his tongue.

"What would you suggest?", he asked. Jeff pulled out a t-shirt of his own, white with thin gray stripes.

"This would look great, I think. With your dark hair, you can wear light colors. I always look like a ghost when I try it myself. I really don't know why I bought it."

"I'll try it, thanks!" Nick skipped into the bathroom and pulled out his blazer and the shirt he was wearing underneath before he changed into Jeff's shirt.

Well, Nick had to confess that the boy had a good eye. The only downside was, that the shirt was short sleeved. He glared into the mirror for a second. There was no way that he could wear it on the party, not with all the bruises and scars on his arms. The boys would ask questions, and he wasn't willing to give answers. He just wanted to forget.

Nick restrained a quiet curse and noticed one of his hoodies hanging over the towel rail. He slipped into it, covering his arms with the dark gray fabric. Much better!

He returned into their room and looked at Jeff haltingly. "What do you think?"

"Why the hoodie?"

"I get cold easily!" Nick shrugged. "I think I got it from my mother!"

Jeff laughed softly. "Okay, then. You look perfect, and you can keep the shirt. And now, my dear, you gotta help me with my outfit!"

Nick nodded, smiling in response. "Let's see what we can do..."

**TBC**

**I'm not totally happy with this chap, but I also don't know what to change. So if it seems rushed, sorry!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here I am again... I know it took a little longer to update this time, but my weekend was really crazy. **

**Thanks again so, _so much_ for all the favorites, alerts and reviews! I always love to know what you're thinking about the chapters, so feel free to tell me whether you like it or not. I'm happy about criticism as well, that's the only way to figure out how to make anything better.  
So, I'll be quiet now... enjoy! :)**

"Mom? I have to go now, I have so much homework to do... yeah... oh, you can't really compare Dalton to my middle school. I love you too, talk to you soon, okay? Bye!" Jeff hung up his phone and sighed sadly.

"What's up?", Nick asked, turning away from his own homework to look at his roommate.

"I don't know. I just... forget it."

"Jeff, this is like... the first time since we've met that you aren't smiling all the time. So it's pretty obvious that somethings up to you. Spit it, blondie!"

"No, it's stupid." Jeff shrugged and grabbed his math papers out of nowhere. As he noticed that Nick was still looking at him, he groaned in annoyance. "I miss them, okay? I haven't seen them for two weeks now, that's the longest time we were ever parted. And this year has just started. So, now you can laugh."

"Why should I?" Nick shook his head and smiled sympathetically. "It's not stupid at all."

"It really, really sucks!" Jeff admitted. "They are so far away that I can't just visit them over the weekend, like the other boys do."

"We're stuck in here together, I don't go home either. And I guess today nobody's heading home, remember, it's party time!"

"Aw, you're right!" Somehow he liked how Nick was always so put-together, it had an calming effect on himself. But once he returned to his math's homework, all frustration came back with a sudden. He threw his book across the room, it made a loud bang when it crashed against a cupboard. Nick stiffened, but immediately turned to Jeff again.

"C'mon, let's go for a walk.", he suggested.

"Let it go, Nick. I'm fine, I'll just do it later."

"I could need a bit of fresh air myself, and it's not like this french essay is interesting at all. Come on, Jeff, that would be my only excuse to have a break!" Nick smirked, laying a pleading look in his eyes.

"So you mean I would do you a favor?" Jeff chuckled a bit, causing Nick to smile in reply. He was satisfied that the blonde wasn't pouting anymore, it was weird to see him in a bad mood.

"Yeah, totally!", he answered, rolling his eyes.

"Then let's go!" Jeff was already up on his feet and grabbed Nick's hand to pull him on his own. For the first time Nick neither jumped or stiffened, a prove how good being at Dalton was for him. Jeff grabbed his keys and they made their way out of the dorm, hands still loosely intertwined.

Although Dalton's gardens were beautiful, Nick wanted to go to one special place he'd discovered on his third day at school. It was a tiny lake, more a pond actually, and it was hidden behind some huge trees and hedges. If Dalton wouldn't be a boy's school, he was sure that it would be the perfect make-out place. _And maybe it still was, though..._ He blushed slightly, shaking Jeff's hand off.

He headed towards a bench and sat down, Jeff taking place right beside him. "That's a place to hide and snuggle!", he confirmed Nick's earlier thoughts, causing the brunette boy to blush even more. Nick quickly looked away, but it was too late, Jeff already had seen his changing facial color.

"Aw, Nicky, you're blushing!" Hi sniggered.

"Shut it. I took you here because in _my _opinion this is a pretty and peaceful place, you nasty, dirty-minded boy!"

"Nah, don't be mad, you're right. It's just too cute how easily you blush, and now that I know it... It's like a big, red button with a 'Don't push' sign."

Nick decided to ignore that statement, especially the 'cute'-thing. "And does it work? You're feeling better now?"

"Yeah, a lot. I still don't really wanna do my homework, but I guess I have no choice. Wanna go back? I want to be finished before the party starts."

"Ready when you are." They walked back to their room without talking, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more, like they were trying to keep the peacefulness as long as possible, before they had to go back to their everyday life, with all it's issues and problems.

...

"There you are! Finally! Where have you been for so long?" Thad cheered as Nick and Jeff entered the party. "Wessy! Our babies are here!"

"What the actual fuck?", Jeff whispered bewildered.

"Thad, I told you to stay away from the punch. Who knows what Kilian mixed together this time!", Wes sighed, making his way over to the freshmen.

"But it tastes sooo good! C'mon, Wessy, try it yourself!" He offered his glass to the other council member. Wes rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, Thad. Go, have a little fun." He turned to Nick and Jeff. "But I agree with him in one point, we all were waiting for you! Good to see you!"

"We had to finish our homework first. But we're not _that_ late." Nick pointed out, secretly gazing at his watch. The party had started at 8pm, now it was barely 8.30.

"Whatever. Warblers?", Wes shouted, and immediately all of the other boys were around them. Before Jeff or Nick could even ask themselves what was going on, they already started to sing.

_Welcome to the jungle  
We got fun 'n' games  
We got everything you want  
Honey we know the names  
We are the people that can find  
Whatever you may need  
If you got the money honey  
We got your disease_

_In the jungle  
Welcome to the jungle..._

At this point the whole group broke into laughter.

"What was that for?", Jeff asked, confused but really happy.

"You belong to us now, so that's why we wanted to say welcome. And the jungle, that's... oh... you will understand soon enough.", Blaine explained, obviously also not sober anymore.

"And that's totally _not_ the point right now. It's about time that we all get to know each other, and there is only one perfect way to!" David was more singing these words as speaking them, an evil smirk all over his face.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "I'm okay with it, as long as you don't suggest truth or dare!" He searched in his mind for more embarrassing party games. "...Or spin the bottle!", he added quickly.

"Aww Nicky, why are you so shy?" Thad chuckled, not knowing that he'd hit a sore spot. "But whatever, don't worry, it's none of these two."

"Then what is it?", Jeff asked impatient, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Gentlemen, it's time for your very first Warblers round of Never have I ever..."

"Wait, what? No!", Nick gasped. "You're kidding me, right? That's as bad as truth or dare and there is no way that I..."

"Nick, c'mon!" Jeff tilted his head and looked at his roommate with puppy eyes. "It's just a game and it's gonna be fun."

"That's not fair!", Nick muttered quietly while he sat down with the other boys.

"You all know the rules, right? Everyone who disagrees with a statement has to drink. And, guys, it's a matter of honor to be honest. Nothing that comes out will ever be told to anyone other."

"I'll start!", David cheered with a diabolic grin. "Never have I ever cross-dressed."

"I hate you!" Blaine took one of the shots and drank it.

"W-What? Blaine?" Flint, another Warbler, literally lay on the floor laughing.

"It was a bet, which I obviously had lost. And _you_..." He glared at David. "...promised not to tell anyone."

"I haven't said a single word, have I?"

"Enough!" Wes stepped in before the boys could start to fight. "Never have I ever... broken a bone."

This time more boys grabbed a glass. Thad, Kilian, Nick, Jeff and one Warbler – Jeff thought his name was Sebastian, but he wasn't completely sure.

"I bet there are a few interesting stories!", Blaine stated, hoping that everyone would forget about him when they heard stories about the others.

"You guys know me, I'm ridiculously clumsy every now and then!" Kieran shrugged and the other Warblers nodded and chuckled.

"True that. What about the rest of you?"

Nick shifted uncomfortably, thinking about what he could say or not. _I fell off the stairs?_ It was the truth, well, a part of it. But before he even could decide if he should tell them, Jeff spoke up.

"I jumped from a bridge..."

"_What?"_ Jeff looked around in confusion as several gasps interrupted him. Wes stared at him with wide eyes, Blaine shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard and Nick looked really horrified, his usually pale face loosing the last bit of color. It took him a moment to figure out what they were thinking.

"Oh, not like that, guys. It was supposed to be fun, but it..."

"How can jumping from a freaking bridge can be _fun_?", Sebastian frowned and looked a bit angry, while the other boys were not ready yet to build up a complete sentence.

"I would tell you if you let me speak!", Jeff snapped back. "Come on, boys, I'm from Florida. I've spent most of my life in the sea, I guess. And because we have no big cliffs to jump into the water from, we always used bridges. That's not a big deal, that's..."

"...illegal!", Wes completed. Jeff rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Maybe, yeah, but it was normal, and nobody ever thought twice about it. That's why I didn't get why all of you got so upset at first, sorry 'bout that, I didn't wanted to scare you."

"It's okay!" David reassured, while some of the boys looked still skeptical though. "But we still don't know how you broke your bones!"

"My arm!" Jeff sniggered and rolled up his sleeves to show the other Warblers an almost faded, tiny white scar. "You know, water can be a bitch. It's pretty hard if you're jumping from a certain height, I came up the wrong way and that's pretty much it."

The tension in the room relaxed, everybody started to chat again, so it took a while until Jeff noticed that Nick was still gazing at him distraught. He reached over to the smaller boy and squeezed his hand lightly. "I'm okay, I promise!", he whispered. Nick smiled back shyly before he turned his face away and avoided Jeff's eyes. The blonde boy sighed. During the two weeks they were roomies now, they had made steps forwards and backwards, just like a slow dance, but never really moved forward. Nick was still closed, and even if it wasn't that hard anymore to get him to talk at all, he still refused to let anyone close.

"Okay, my turn. Never have I ever kissed..."

…

When Jeff opened his eyes he had to grown. Streaming sunlight came through the window, and it was way too bright. He squeezed his eyes shot, but it was already to late. A pounding pain was in his head, and he slowly remembered everything. _Party, right. And this stupid game, Nick was so right as he'd tried to refuse to play along..._

"Nick?" His voice sounded almost as weak as he actually felt, but there was no respond. He opened his eyes again and looked around the room. Nick wasn't there. Maybe he'd headed for breakfast, or...

Before he could think of another possibility he already dozed off again.

As he awoke again, he felt a lot better. He sat up in his bed, just to notice he was still alone. Jeff frowned slightly. Nick wasn't one who used to go out a lot, he didn't even hung out a lot with the rest of the Warblers, except of Wes or Thad maybe.

Well, perhaps one of them knew where he'd gone. Jeff got up and slipped into sweatpants and a simple shirt. Best thing about Dalton was, that they hadn't to dress up properly during the weekend, so no one would mind. He hurried over to his mentor's room and knocked against the door.

"It's open!" Jeff shrugged and opened the door. He tried hard not to laugh as he walked into the room. Wes was sitting on the floor, a bunch of papers around him. Without any doubts he was preparing a new song for the Warblers. Thad, on the other hand, still lay in bed, his face as white as a wall.

"Hey!", Wes greeted, unimpressed by the miserably groaning of his friend. "Seems like our beloved _Thaddy_ drank a bit too much yesterday, hu? It's not like I haven't told him before, no..."

"Shut up, Wes!" Thad moaned. "I wanna die!"

"Oh, not today, dear." The Asian chuckled. "So, Jeff, is there something I can do for you?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to ask if you had seen Nick anywhere. He wasn't in our dorm since I woke up."

"Which was, looking at you, like ten minutes ago?", Wes suspected, raising a brow.

"Well... yeah... but I was already awake earlier and he wasn't there." Jeff shifted a bit. "I'm silly, right? Ok, I'll go again. I..."

"Jeff, mate, why won't you tell me what's really on your mind?"

"I don't want to talk about Nick behind his back!" The younger boy looked down on his hands uncomfortably, already regretting that he'd left his dorm. "It's just... I'm worried about him, Wes. There is something strange with him. Not _strange_ strange, in a way that he's freaking me out or something, I actually do like him a lot. But I feel like he's trying to keep everyone away, do you know what I mean? Like if there is something that he don't want us or me to know, which is okay, but he..."

"Jeff!", Wes interrupted the rambling. "Take a breath, I know exactly what you mean."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I will try to find him, if that soothes you..." He couldn't finished the sentence, because in this second the blonde boy joined him on the ground and hugged him. Wes smiled and patted his back.

"Thanks Wes. And now I'll go back and take a shower, maybe I'll feel more like a human being afterward."

Wes giggled as Jeff left. "Hey, Thad, maybe it will help you too. All you have to do is get up and..."

"Wesley... ouch..." The pale boy immediately regretted yelling at his friend, burying his head into his pillow. "If you like me a tiny bit, just leave me alone. Please..."

…

Wes went down the hallway looking for Nick when he heard music in one of the practice rooms. He frowned slightly, today wasn't any rehearsals. Curiously he stepped closer. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, he just wanted to know who was inside of the room. He opened the door carefully and raised an eyebrow as he saw Nick sitting behind the piano. So finally he'd found him. He didn't knew that the boy could play.

Should he get in or better wait outside, so that Nick wouldn't feel tracked down or something? He was already about to shut the door again when the younger boy started to sing.

_Turn away  
If you could get me a drink  
of water, 'cause my lips are chapped and faded  
Call my aunt Marie_

Help her gather all my things  
and bury me in all my favorite colors,  
my sisters and my brothers, still  
I will not kiss you,

'cause the hardest part of this,  
is leaving you

Wes finally opened the door completely and walked in, stunned by the pain in Nick's voice. He knew something was up with the kid, and even if he'd vowed to himself not to push him, he wanted to make sure that Nick was okay. He had to admit that Jeff wasn't the only one who was worried about the kid.

_Now turn away,  
'cause I'm awful just to see  
'cause all my hair's abandoned all my body,  
all my agony _

_Know that I will never marry,  
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo,  
but counting down the days to go  
It's just ain't living_

And I just hope you know,  
that if you say,  
goodbye today,  
I'd ask you to be true,  
'cause the hardest part of this,  
is leaving you...

Nick finally interrupted his play and broke into sobs. Without hesitating, Wes stepped closer and lay a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, noticing how he flinched violently by the unexpected touch.

"Nick, it's just me, Wes. You don't have to be afraid!"

Carefully, he tried to pull him into a hug, but Nick jumped. "Don't touch me!", he yelled, and Wes caught a hint of raw panic in his eyes.

"Nick..." Wes began helplessly. "I don't want to hurt you, I promise. You're my friend."

"You know n-nothing about m-me!" Nick sank to his knees and buried his teary face in his hands.

"I know that you are a kind boy!" Wes slowly joined him on the floor, hoping that he would find the right words. "I know that you are an amazing talented singer. I know that you care a lot about others. I know that _I like you!_ And I know... that something really, really bad must have happened to you, something that really hurts you, and I hate that I can't do anything about it. I want to _help_ you, Nick. You're not alone anymore."

He tried again to hug the trembling boy, and this time Nick let him. He stiffened by the body contact, but relaxed after a while and clung to Wes, shoulders shaken by the heart aching sobs, face buried into Wes' neck.

Wes let him cry as long as he needed to. When the sobs finally eased, he pulled the boy from the ground. "I can't force you to tell me anything, but it eats you up, Nick. And I want you to know that I am willing to listen, not only because I'm your mentor, but because I'm your _friend _and I care about you."

"I... I... I don't know if I can... I'm..."

Wes grabbed Nick's hand and pulled him into a big leather couch, making the smaller boy sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around him and held gently. "Take your time, Nicky. I'm here, whenever you're ready..." He continued whispering comforting words, sensing the other boy's tension.

"I don't want you to hate me!", Nick winced miserably. "Please, let me go... I'm okay..."

"No, you're not!" Wes forced himself to stay calm as he felt the boy stiffen again. "Nick, listen to me. You can trust me, I promise. I'm worried about you, and _there's no way I could hate you_. Let me help you, please."

"You know, I _had_ friends once, and I thought I could trust them, too. But when they found out what you asking me to tell, they turned into my worst enemies. I... I don't want that to happen again!" Nick's voice was calm, maybe a little tired.

Wes sighed, slowly taking a hint in which direction the talk would turn."I'm not like them, Nick. I promise. But when you don't want to talk to me, than I'm sure Jeff would love to listen. Or Thad, David and Blaine. We all are your friends. We won't let you down, no matter what!"

The floodgates were open again. Wes run his fingers through Nick's soft, brown hair in a soothing way.

"_I'm gay!"_, he finally heard a shy whisper. Wes continued caressing Nick's hair.

"That's okay, Nicky.", he just said. "No one will judge you, I promise. Some of the other boys are also gay, like Blaine! And he is one of my closest friends. What made you think that that would change anything? You're still the same, amazing person, aren't you?"

"I'm not ama..."

"Yes, you are! You just don't know it yet. Thanks for telling me, Nick." He let a few minutes pass, hesitating to ask one specific question that was in his mind since he entered the room. Maybe it wasn't the right time, but he needed to know, he would never forgive himself if something happened and he hadn't asked as he got the chance to do. He cleared his throat and held Nick a little tighter. "Nicky, I hate to ask, but... the song..."

"Yeah?" Nick finally looked up, his eyes locking with Wes'.

"It... it was about a dieing person, and..." It was so hard not to look away, especially because Nick's eyes were still read and puffy, and so damn sad. "I wondered if... you... You were...you _are_ not planning to to something stupid, right?"

Nick looked down on his arms for a second before he met Wes' gaze again. Of course the Asian had noticed, but Nick decided to act like nothing had happened. "No, of course not. I was sad, and I tend to be a little... dramatically over."

"Nick, I need you to be honest!" The younger boy could see the worry into the older students eyes.

"You really care about me!", he whispered amazed and his eyes grew wide.

"Of course I do!" It literally broke Wes' heart to hear the unbelieving fascination behind these words. "You're my little Nicky!"

"I never planned to kill myself, Wes. I swear. I... may or may not have done some things that I shouldn't have, but I think I got everything under control."

"Are you sure, kid?" Wes' eyes still were fixed on the other boy's face.

"I am." He smiled shyly. "And when it turns out to be otherwise, I'll tell you about it. You don't need to worry, Wes. I feel better now than I felt for a long time.

_'But there's still so much you hide..._, Wes stated in his mind, but decided to letting him go for this day. It was a huge step for Nick to come out, he surely needed time for himself to think about everything that happened. "No matter what day- or nighttime, you can come to me whenever you need to. When you feel bad, even when you think that it's not worth to mention it... talk with somebody. Me, or Jeff. He's worried about you, too."

"I don't want him to..."

"People care about their friends, Nicky, that is nothing you can control. That's one of the great things of a frienship. Just keep in mind that you're not alone... I'm proud of you, Nick."

Nick blushed. "I haven't heard that for a long time!", he admitted. "Wes, it's kinda embarrassing, but... is it okay if I'd hug you again?"

"Come here!" Wes laughed and opened his arms, and Nick practically threw himself into the hug. "I'm really proud of you!", Wes repeated. "And I promise I'll make sure that you'll be happy again."

...

When Nick finally got back into his dorm, Jeff was already there, lying on his bed and reading 'The hobbit'.

"Oh, there you are!", he beamed as he noticed Nick's entrance. "Where have you been for so long? I was looking for you."

"Really?" Nick couldn't help but smile, even if his eyes were still burning.

"Are you okay? You look exhausted." Jeff tilts his had to observe Nick.

"I am. Both. Exhausted and okay.", the brunette reassured.

"Try and get some sleep. I wanted to ask if you wanna have a movie marathon this night, but when you're too tired..."

"I'll be fine after I took a little nap, and I love the idea!" Nick went over to his bed, but turned and looked at the blonde boy again. "Jeff, would you say we are friends?"

Jeff frowned. "Of course. You are my best friend here. Why do you..." He was interrupted when Nick pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks, Jeffy!", he whispered before letting him go again. Afterward he jumped into his bed, curled into a ball and fell asleep really quickly.

Jeff however sat on his own bed and watched is roommate pretty confused. Nick had never used a pet name or hugged him since they knew each other. His lips turned into a smile as he noticed that the boy looked so much happier than he did the last days. If Wes was in charge of this, the Asian truly was a magician. He didn't knew what happened, but whatever it was, he was glad about it.

**TBC**

**I have to admit, I _love_ Wes, so he needed to be the one Nick came out to first... sorry if that was disappointing or something. Jeff will have a bigger role in the next chapter. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Today was a holiday for me, so I had a lot of time to write. Aw, I could spend every day like that! :)  
I know, I keep saying it again and again, and I hope you're not already tired of reading it, but thanks for the feedback for the last chapter. Seriously, I can't stop smiling whenever I get a notification. You people are the greatest! :)**

**So... now it's time to improve the Niff-friendship, don't you think? :)**

"Get away from me! I said _get away_... hey, don't do that! No! J-just stop!"

When Nick's eyes flew open, the cry was still echoing in his ears. He gasped for air, but it came out like a half sob, unable to fill his lungs to breathe properly. He sat up and saw that Jeff was also awake, looking worried.

"Nick?" Jeff slurred, still half asleep, "Are you okay?" He propped himself up on his elbow and studied Nick closely for a moment. Even though the room was barely lit by the pale shine of the moon coming through the window, he could clearly make out that Nick's eyes were wide with fear.

"I... I-I..."

Jeff sat up himself, his worry grew with every second that passed without an answer from the other boy. "Nick?"

"No... air...", he finally managed to press. Jeff was on his side within a heartbeat.

"Nick, you're safe. Relax, I am here. But I need you to breathe for me. C'mon, dude. Breathe..."

"C-can't..."

"_Fuck!_" Jeff swore under his breath, causing Nick to flinch again. He mentally slapped himself, desperately searching in his brain for an idea to calm the boy. He eventually crawled behind him, pulling him close, so that Nick's back was pressed against his chest, so the boy would feel his chest moving whenever he took a breath.

"Cope my breathing, Nicky. I know you can do it. In and out, you see? You get it, right? Come on..."

After a while Nick was still a bit out of air, but his breathing had slowed to a proper level. He felt his face blushing and tried to escape Jeff's arms.

"You feel better now?" Jeff frowned as Nick refused to look into his face, but he could make out that the boy was nodding slightly. He sighed and skipped into the bathroom, just to return seconds later, a wet washcloth in his hand. "Hey, Nicky, look at me." He gently wiped the sweat out of the smaller boy's face, before he opened the wardrobe to grab another pajama shirt.

"Thank you!", he heard a small voice behind his back.

"Anytime. Here, change that, before you catch a cold!"

Considering the darkness in the room, Nick decided not to got into the bathroom to change. Hopefully Jeff wouldn't notice the bruises. He changed pretty quickly though. No need to challenge his luck.

There was an awkward moment between them, before Jeff softly ruffled Nick's hair. "You scared me, I thought you were going to faint every second!"

Nick squeezed his eyes shot and turned his head away. "Jeff, I'm so sorry, I..."

"Don't be. You have nothing to apologize for. Are you feeling better? Do you need the nurse?"

"I'm fine!" Nick bit his lower lip. There was no way that he would be able to sleep again, not now. And Jeff actually seemed to care. It was the first time that Nick really wanted to tell somebody what happened to him. Also Wes had given him the advice to talk to someone, and somehow he trusted the blonde boy. "Jeff, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course." Jeff waited patiently until Nick gathered enough courage to start talking. When he finally does, his voice was nothing but a whisper.

"I've been bullied... badly..." Nick looked down on his shivering hands. Jeff noticed the gaze and simply took them in his own handy. "...because I'm gay."

"How bad?", Jeff asked back, trying to hide the anger that grew in him while hearing those words.

"Bad enough." Nick sighed. "I never really talked about it, Jeff. My parents didn't care. In their opinion I just had to man up. They refused to take me out of middle school until I... I..." Tears were forming in his eyes, but he blinked them away with all his might.

Jeff nodded in understanding, though he couldn't even imagine what kind of parents didn't care if their child was being bullied. "And in your dream you've been there again?", he asked softly, trying to make the talk as easy as possible for the smaller boy.

"Yeah. There was this... kid. Jake. He was the worst, I think the only reason he went to school every day was that he wanted to make my life a living hell. And damn, he was successful." Nick let out a laugh, but it sounded bitter.

"I'm so sorry, Nick!" '_Great, and how should that help him?'_, Jeff asked himself sarcastically.

"Don't! I don't want you to be. I don't want you to look at me as another as you did last evening. Or... does it bother you that I'm gay? You don't hate me, do you?"

Enough was enough. Jeff couldn't simply sit there and wait while Nick was freaking out. He put a hand under his chin and forced him to meet his gaze. Nicks eyes were flickering around nervously. "Nicky, shh. Of course I don't hate you. I'm gay myself, I just didn't mentioned it because no one ever asked."

Nick stared at the boy in awe. This wasn't something he'd expected, and a lot of his tension fell away from him. Jeff put an arm around the brunette, making sure the boy was comfortable with the touch before he continued speaking. "But Nick, it's not the time to talk about me now. Is there more you want to tell me?"

"I don't want to load everything up on you... It's late, and tomorrow is a school day!"

"I'll drink an extra coffee in the morning, so don't mind. I'll listen, and it's not a burden or something. It's fine."

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another one. It was indescribably hard to talk, he'd tried to bury all those memories for so long. "It all started when I came out.", he began, his voice almost too calm. "People aren't open-minded in most parts of Ohio. There were the usually things, like, calling me names, nothing I couldn't handle. But when they noticed that I wasn't about to break down, it became worse."

Jeff watched his face in concern. He could tell that all this stuff was really going to Nick. He secretly wished that the boy would loosen up a bit, scream, cry or do anything teenagers usually do when it all becomes to much to handle.

"They began to push me into the lockers. They waited after school to beat me up. They kept telling me how disgusting I was, I could see the hate in their eyes. Soon enough it became daily routine. I had no chance to fight back, they were too many, and I... was all alone. And even if Jake seemed to be on his own, the others always were just behind the next corner. They wanted to hurt me, they wanted to make me cry like a girl!" Nick spat those words, and Jeff pulled him a little closer, terrified by what his friend had gone through before they knew each other. "I thought I could stand it, though. I hadn't realized how far their hate grew. Until the one day – it was the last day that I visited the school, I was home schooled afterward. I had chemistry, and I already was late. When I went up the stairs, I saw Jake, waiting for me. I'll spare you the details, he... pushed me down the stairs. It hurt so much, and I couldn't get up myself. He came after me and said that he would k-kill me if I ever t-told anybody... s-so I n-never... _gosh..._"

He finally allowed himself to break down. All the fear and desperation washed over him within a second, and he started to cry bitterly. It felt like the sharp sobs were about to rip up his chest, and he just wanted to make the pain go away, but he couldn't stop crying. _'Aww, see our little fairy princess. Once again crying like a baby.'_

Jeff pulled him onto his lap and pulled him into a backbreaking hug. His own eyes were wide with horror, and he cried with his friend silently. He couldn't even _imagine_ going through such a hell, and to know that this used to be reality for Nick literally broke his heart. "You've endured it!", he whispered in the brunette's ear. "You're out of there. You are _safe_ now, Nicky. And you're not alone, I am right here..."

After a while the soothing words seemed to calm the shattered boy. Jeff knew that it would be the best to stay quiet, but his mouth had an own opinion. "I can't believe that you had no one who stood up for you. Where were your friends?" No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't imagine that a likeable boy like Nick didn't had any friends at all.

Nick swallowed thickly. "_They_ were my friends... before... Jake, he... he used to be my best friend..."

"Oh god, Nicky, I'm so sorry!" Jeff started to rock the upset boy in a comforting way. "That's why it is so hard for you to let people close, right?"

"Yeah, I... I guess... I keep waiting for the hate, but it's not coming. " Nick blinked a few times. "Jeff... thanks for everything. Especially for listening."

"Anytime!", Jeff replied smiling and stroke the boy's hair gently. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

Nick nodded hesitantly. "I hope so, yeah." But the slight shiver in his voice revealed his fear.

Jeff got over to his own bed and took his blanket and pillow. He stuffed the fabrics onto Nick's bed and sat next to the boy again. After a while of ruffling everything was the way he wanted it. He pulled Nick close again, his blanket was behind their backs now, so they didn't had to lean against the cold wall for the rest of the night. Then he grabbed Nick's blanked and covered himself and his friend with it. "Are you comfortable?", he asked, unsure if that was too much.

"Yeah, very!" Nick leaned his head against Jeff's shoulder, enjoying that the blonde had pulled him in his arms again. "You too?"

"I am." Jeff rested his head against Nick's.

They didn't speak anymore that night. After a while he could tell by Nick's breathing that he finally fell asleep, exhausted from the soul-strip he'd made that night, but he himself couldn't doze off. Nick's words repeated over and over again in his mind. He swore to himself that he would take care that no one would ever hurt him again.

The sun was already rising as he fell into a light sleep.

…

Nick groaned by the sound of his alarm clock. He tried to turn on the other side, but for some reasons he couldn't move. He frowned slightly and opened his eyes. He was stuck between the wall, or in fact a blanket that covered up the wall and Jeff. _Wait, what?_ His eyes grew wide. Yes, no doubt. Jeff was lying so close to him that he could feel his chest moving by every breath the blonde boy took. And his arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, that explained why he couldn't move at all. Suddenly he remembered all what happened in the night. His nightmare, Jeff comforting him, _everything._ It was strange, wasn't he supposed to feel awkward right now? He didn't, not at all. It was like a heavy weight had fallen from his heart.

"Jeff?" The blonde's eyes flew open. Nick frowned again as he noticed the dark circles underneath them, fully aware of the fact that he was responsible for them. But Jeff just smiled and sat up slowly.

"Good morning. How do you feel?"

Nick smiled back, and for once, it was an honest smile. "A little tired, but I feel pretty good actually. How about you?"

"Same!" Jeff yawned and got up completely. He stretched his body before he looked at Nick again, suddenly noticing that one of his shirt slipped up during the night. His breathing stocked as he became aware of the dark bruises on the other boy's body. "Gosh, Nicky, what's that?"

Nick looked down and quickly put his shirt back in place, deeply blushing. "Still a memory of the bullying!", he admitted. "It isn't as bad as it looks like, I promise. When you get bruises over bruises it takes longer for them to heal."

Jeff seemed to have lost the ability to form words, so he just pulled Nick out of bed and hugged him once again. When they broke apart, his eyes were bright with emotion. He cleared his throat, but his voice was thick as he began to speak, though. "Let's get ready, I'm starving!"

…

"Yeah, I know, but I really don't understand why -" Wes interrupted himself as Nick and Jeff entered the room. He frowned slightly. Something was different with the two boys, but he couldn't tell what it was. "Sorry, what did you say?" He turned back to Thad and smiled apologetically. His friend followed his look and smirked.

"Seems like somebody had a pretty long night, hu?" He chuckled as he watched the boys. Their first way was to the buffet, where each of them grabbed a big cup of coffee before they joined the Warblers table.

"Morning!", they yawned in unison. Jeff sat on the free chair next to Blaine, Nick slipped immediately beside the blonde. Blaine greeted them cheerfully and tried to involve the boys in a conversation, but the mission was about to fail. Jeff replied with short phrases, while Nick didn't react at all. He looked like he was about to pass out every second.

"What the hell have you two been doing last night?"

"Nothing!" Jeff yawned again and rubbed his eyes like a little child, causing several Warblers to smile.

"We just talked for a while!" Nick added explaining and rested his head against Jeffs shoulder, blinking tiredly.

Wes smiled widely. It wasn't that hard for him to count two and two together, he knew a bit about Nick and it seemed like the boy had opened up to his roommate. _Finally! _

"You know more than I do, right?", Thad whispered, now noticing the change between the behavior of the boys himself.

"I may know a lot of things, my dear Thaddeus, or I may not, but..."

"Wes, please!" Thad facepalmed. "You're giving me a headache. Seriously, stop watching all those greek movies, you're not a freaking oracle!"

Wes ruffled his hair grinning. "Don't be mad at me, Thad. Keep looking at our babies, aren't they cute?"

Thad laughed silently and nodded. "They grow up so quickly!"

Nick and Jeff were totally unaware about the talk between their mentor and his friend. Jeff managed to eat a few cereals while Nick just drank a lot of coffee, which hopefully would keep him from falling asleep during the lessons.

As the bell rang to inform them that the first lesson soon begins, they moaned loudly. This day wouldn't be easy to survive.

"Come on, sleepy head!" Jeff grabbed Nick's hand and pulled him towards their class. Behind their back, the other Warblers shot confused gazes at each other. More than one of them was curious to know what had happened between the two boys. The never seemed so close like this morning ever before.

**TBC**

**Let me know what you think about it! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update! Finals are coming, and my teacher seem to have decided to put as many extra assignments into the remaining time as possible. I'll try to update more regular again, though.**

**I've written this chapter every now and then when I had a bit of free time, so don't be mad at me if it don't really makes sense or seems rushed or anything. The next one will be better, I hope. **

…

He couldn't hide how messed up he really was. He tried so hard to act like everybody else, but he was scared too easily. One day a student accidentally ran into him on the stairs, and he almost had a nervous breakdown. Of course all the Warblers noticed, but nobody except of Jeff knew what caused this inner tension. Speaking of Jeff, he turned out to be an amazing friend. He was always on his side and acted very protective.

Nick smiled and lay his back against the wall behind his bed. All in all, things were going better as he had expected them to. Yeah, he still had fears, he still was timid... But it wasn't as bad anymore now he knew that he had someone he could count on. Jeff. He trusted him completely meanwhile. Right now was one of the few moments, they were apart from each other. Jeff had dance class, Nick already was finished for the day. Of course, Warblers practice was later this day and there was still homework left, but right now he was glad that he had nothing to do. He turned his Ipod on and closed his eyes.

As Jeff opened the door one hour later, he found his roommate sleeping on his bed. He smiled sightly. He knew that Nick still had problems with sleeping, he twice had to wake him up from a nightmare since the first time. He should let him rest for a bit longer, Nick was pretty exhausted the most of the time. Jeff could tell that he was trying really hard to fight his fears, and most of the time he managed that surprisingly well. He grabbed his clothes and skipped into the bathroom to get a shower and change out of his sports clothes.

As he came out again Nick hadn't moved at all. Jeff looked at his watch and sighed. Warblers practice was in 20 minutes, and Nick would kill him if he didn't wake him up. What Wes would do to him... he would rather not think about that. He sat on the bed carefully and squeezed the sleeping boy's shoulder. "Nicky, hey!" He took it as a sign of success that Nick didn't flinched as he touched him. The brunette opened his eyes and blinked a few times, struggling to find his way back into reality. "Wake up, you sleepyhead!"

"Rub your eyes, get out of bed...", Nick yawned in response. He sat up and smirked slightly. "I never thought you were the Wicked-type."

Jeff grinned back and raised an eyebrow. "There is so much you don't know about me, babe!"

"You're nuts!" Nick chuckled, enjoying the simple weirdness of the moment. "Let me get up, you idiot. I need to brush my hair before we leave!"

"Damn right!" Jeff laughed as Nick threw a deadly glare on him, bursting out in laughter himself a few seconds later. He loved to see how relaxed the boy could be, even if it just was when they were alone.

"C'mon." Nick grabbed Jeff's hand and pulled him outside the room. "You won't be late for your audition." Once they were in the hallways, Nick let his hand go, but stayed close to him. "Are you nervous?"

"Like hell!", Jeff admitted as they made their way towards the choir room. He took a deep breath made a little noise of confusion as Nick hugged him all of a sudden. Usually it was Jeff who comforted the smaller boy, it felt a little strange that it now was the other way around. But it wasn't awkward after all. Jeff relaxed into the touch. "Do you think I'll have a chance?"

"They were numb and stupid if they won't see how fantastic you are!" Nick patted his back before he stepped backwards. They didn't hug in public, at least they never did before... Jeff had sworn to himself not to force his friend to anything, it had to be Nick who crosses this line. And now he did. Jeff was proud in a way that confused him slightly.

"Thank you!", he answered with rough voice as he opened the door to the practice room. His heart begun to beat faster as he noticed the council members, already sitting behind their desk.

"You'll kill it!", Nick whispers quickly before taking his usual spot on the couch, probably even more nervous as his friend.

"Warbler Jeff, you may start whenever you are ready..."

…

"I still can't believe it!" Nick slammed the door close behind him and Jeff, flinching violently by the loud bang he caused himself. "_Shit!_ Jeff, stop looking at me like that, I'm okay. But I mean, really? What was going on in their minds to choose Blaine for this solo? You were breathtaking, man..."

"Nick!", Jeff sighed and fell onto his bed, burying his face in the pillow. Yes, he was disappointed,

but what was the use in talking everything over and over again?

"Seriously!", Nick muttered. "Were they in another room as I was? Your performance was flawless.

"Drop it, Nick. I really wanted this solo, and now all I want is not to talk about it anymore! Or think." He tried to smile, but it came out like a grimace.

"Okay, sorry!" Nick bit his lip and sat down on the bedside, awkwardly stroking the blonde's back. "Next time you'll get it!"

"Next time you'll audition with me!" Jeff propped himself up on his elbow and smirked at Nick.

"No way!" The brunette boy shook his head. "When even you don't get a solo, there is no need for me to try out at all. But I'll be there to cheer and clap louder than anyone else."

Jeff sighed again and rested his head against Nick's side. "Maybe I should just forget about it. Look, Nicky, we're freshmen, we can be glad that we were accepted at all. I think I never really had a chance."

"Yes, you had!", a familiar voice interrupted the pity party. Nick and Jeff looked up startled. Wes stood in the door frame and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to eavesdrop, I just wanted to check on you. May I come in?"

"Sure!" Wes entered the room and rolled the chair from Jeff's desk to the bed before he sat down.

"It wasn't an easy decision, Jeff. You were really good, but there's only one who can win. Your time will come soon enough."

Jeff nodded slowly. "Thanks!"

"You were right with what you said, though. It's not self-evident that we accept freshmen to join the Warblers. But that shouldn't let you think that you have no chance. Look, we accepted you at your first try. This should show you that you are really talented. So don't give up, blondie!" Jeff rolled his eyes as he was called like that, but he couldn't stop smiling. Somehow Wes always seemed to find the right words. "Oh, and Nicky? Same goes for you!"

Nick looked up surprised. "What?"

"You did hear me. Think about it. Well, I gotta go again. So much to do, so little time..." He winked and was out of the room before Jeff and Nick even had the chance to reply.

"Is it just me, or was this really weird?"

"It was..." The boys smiled at each other. Nick eventually sighed and stretched his body before going to his desk.

"Have you already done the chemistry assignment?", he asked, a hint of frustration showing in his voice.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah. Need help?" He looked over Nick's shoulders to see what the boy actually was doing.

"I think so. I already tried this, but I can't work it out."

Jeff frowned while he observed the homework closer. "You used the wrong atomic number. Look, it says 12, you wrote 11, which is Sodium, an alkali metal. It has to be Magnesium. Makes it more sense, now?"

"Kinda... I guess. Chemistry is not my favorite class, and I'm afraid it never will be."

The blonde boy reached out to ruffle Nick's hair with a light chuckle. "C'mon, Nicky, you _love_ chemistry. We have the best places ever. In the back of the class and next to each other, what more to wish for?"

"I don't know. Maybe a brain that understands this crap. Seriously, I have no idea what I'm doing here." Nick was about to close his book again, but Jeff grabbed his hand and shook his head.

"You don't need a new brain, you just need to learn not to give up after... how long are we sitting here? Three minutes?" He pulled a chair over and sat down next to Nick. "Look, I'm gonna help you with this one. And I'll make sure that you get everything in your head. But promise me that you stop giving up this easily. In every way!" He laughed softly and pointed on a drawing inside the book. "Let's start from the very beginning. This is an atom. But we're not interested in the whole thing at all. The atomic shell? Forget about it for now. All we need today is the nucleus. Can you tell me some facts about it? ...Hey, you're cheating! Give me your notes. Just try to remember what you already know..."

It wasn't easy. It wasn't fun. Nick found himself wondering how patient Jeff was with him. And however it was possible... Nick actually understood what he was explaining.

"You should become a teacher. You would be great!", he stated as he finished the last assignment.

Jeff blushed slightly. "I kinda considered it already. But there is so much I want to do. For example becoming a professional dancer, even if I don't know if I'm good enough. I hope to be, though."

"Or a musician!", Nick suggested with a smirk. "Too bad that you can't dance while playing guitar!"

"I could try, but... it would look silly!" Jeff jumped through the room, passionately playing air guitar. Nick almost fell from his chair as he burst out in laughter. He hadn't laughed so hard since... Well, actually he couldn't remember. It hit him like lightning, and his smile dropped all of a sudden. Now he really let himself sink on the floor, staring blankly against the wall.

Jeff stopped dancing around. "Nick?"

The brunette flinched as Jeff spoke all of a sudden. He opened his mouth to answer, but not a single word escaped his throat.

Jeff frowned in concern. "Nick?", he repeated while he crossed the few steps to his roommate and sat down carefully next to him. "What's wrong?"

Nick couldn't think. His head felt completely empty. He blinked a few times, then squeezed his eyes shut in the attempt to fight down his confusion. Suddenly he felt Jeff's arms around his shoulders, hugging him so hard that it was almost painful, but it was exactly what Nick needed. "I... I'm _happy!_", he stammered before he broke down.

"Well... you don't look like that, to be honest!" Jeff didn't knew what to say. He couldn't figure out what was going on in the other boy's mind right now.

"But I am!" Nick knew he was already tearing up again. He was so sick of crying, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Jeff smiled a tiny smile and brought a hand under his roommates chin, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Then why are you crying, Nicky?"

"I... I don't know!" The tears started to fall down his cheeks. Jeff sighed silently and pulled out a tissue.

"Come on, let's get over to your bed. The floor is actually too cold to sit here, I don't want either of us to get sick!"

The boys moved. Jeff was glad that he had finally found a way how to talk to Nick without making him freak out even more when he was upset like this. It only took a few seconds until they sat on Nick's bed. The dark haired boy grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it. He did it again. He was about to lose it again. He needed to stop, otherwise Jeff would soon have enough of spending his time with him. Why was he such a mess lately? Seriously, he started crying because he felt happy? That wasn't giving great hopes for his mental conditions, right?

Jeff waited patiently. He didn't knew anything about Nick's thoughts at the moment, but he knew that he wanted the boy to talk to him. Once Nick looked up, he smiled sympathetically. "Feeling better?"

"You're still there?", Nick answered, eyes wide with surprise. He'd thought that Jeff had let him on his own.

"Of course I am. I'm your friend, Nick, you should know that by now!"

A split second later Nick found himself throwing his arms around the blonde boy and pressing his face against his chest. "I know!", he agreed without looking up. "That's why I am happy."

Jeff frowned slightly. "So you're crying because of me?", he teased to overplay his confusion and ruffled Nick's hair. Nick get a hand between them and pushed Jeff back up enough so their eyes can meet, shooting him a look that said Jeff better damn well know what he's talking about.

"No." Nick spoke quietly. "It's just... I never considered myself being _unhappy_, you know? I was okay, at least I thought I was. But now... I am happy, Jeff. I haven't had this feeling for years, and that... makes everything look pretty crappy."

Jeff hugged him back, but not too tightly. Nick suddenly felt so breakable, fragile in his arms.

"But that's a great thing. Let the past rest and be happy, I want you to be! C'mon, Nicky, I suck at reassuring talking, don't let me ramble any more!"

Nick chuckled darkly. "I get your point. Jeff... thanks... again."

Without thinking at all, Jeff pressed a soft kiss on the shorter boy's forehead. Nick whimpered, it wasn't that he didn't like it, he was simply not used in anybody getting so close to him.

"It's getting late!", Jeff eventually said. "We should go to sleep, don't you think?"

"Could you stay with me?", Nick asked and blushed deeply, these words weren't meant to come out loudly. He shifted as he felt Jeff staring at him. "You don't have to, you just... I don't know. You keep the dreams away!"

"I just go and brush my teeth, I'll be back in a minute."

Jeff slipped out of the room to change in his pajamas. Should he feel strange about sharing a bed with another boy? Maybe. Most certainly, yes. But he didn't. They already slept in the same bed once, after Nick told him about his bullying. It wasn't a big deal then, so why should it be one now?

When he returned into the room, Nick already seemed to be asleep, but his eyes flew open as he heard Jeff's steps coming closer. The blonde crawled into the bed and pulled his friend in his arms. "Sleep well, Nicky!"

"G'd night...", was the only thing Nick managed to get out, before his eyes finally closed and he sank into a deeper sleep as he had for weeks.

**TBC**

**Thanks to anyone who's still reading this despite the long break. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't know what's going on... I didn't even wanted to write today, but I couldn't get this piece out of my head.  
So, I hope you like it, even if it wasn't planned at all! ;)**

…

"Sit down, boys!" Mr Tanner, the history teacher waited till the class fell silent. It took a bit longer than usually, because today was the first exam the Dalton freshmen had to write, and everybody was a bit nervous.

"Good luck!", Jeff whispered to Nick, who nodded in reply. "Good luck to you too!"

Mr Tanner began to hand out the papers. "Leave them upside down until I tell you to turn them around. Once I give the signal, you got exactly 90 minutes to finish the test. Good luck, boys. You can start now!"

Everybody turned their papers and started to write. Well, _almost everybody. _Nick looked on his questions, frowning. He had learned so much for this test, but he couldn't answer one of them. The hardest part was that he knew he _knew_ the answers, but they seemed lost somewhere in his mind. The last evening, when Jeff took his book and asked him about the subject, the answers were almost ridiculously easy to him. He was good in history, so what was the problem right now? Hi head began to ache. What the hell was going on with him? He needed to get good grades, otherwise his parents would refuse to let him stay at Dalton. And he wanted to stay, he really wanted. He felt safe here, why was he about to destroy everything? He wasn't good enough to make it...

Suddenly he was aware that someone was watching him. He looked up and met Jeff's eyes. _'You okay?'_ , the blonde mouthed. Nick nodded and tilted his head over his exam papers again.

But he wasn't. He was going to lose everything. The Warblers, his friends, Jeff. Especially Jeff. For a moment Nick completely forgot how to breathe. Crap, what was going on with him? He couldn't allow himself a panic attack, not right now. He has to hold on a little bit longer, just until he had written down these _damn_ answers, but he still couldn't remember a single one. He felt that he started shaking slightly and quickly lay down his pen and his hands on the desk, before anyone had the chance to notice. _Calm, Nick. You can do it. Just write down these freaking answers._ But he couldn't. He _couldn't_.

A wave of nausea rushed over him, and he realized that he couldn't stay in here. He almost crushed over his chair as he got up, running out of the class.

"Nicky!", Jeff yelled behind him, but the dark-haired boy didn't stop running. Jeff bit down his lower lip and shot an excusing gaze to the teacher. Screw this exam, Nick needed help.

He hurried outside the class room and looked around. Where was Nick? He rushed to the first place he could think about, their dorm. And really, the door was closed, but not locked anymore. He stepped in, but still couldn't find Nick anywhere. The bathroom's door stood a slight open, so he carefully knocked. "Nick?"

"Go away!", a weak voice answered.

Jeff pushed the door open completely and caught sight of Nick, who was laying on the ground, curled into a trembling ball. "Shit, Nick! _Nick!_ Dude, what's going on."

"You-you should get b-back and fi-finish your exam."

"Shh..." Jeff hesitantly reached out and touched the boy's shoulder. Nick turned his face to look at him. Jeff let out a startled breath. Nick was so pale, his eyes almost seemed black. He looked like he was about to faint. "Nicky. I'm here, okay? And I'll stay. But I need you to calm, please. Try to breathe regular... gosh, Nick, you're shaking. Get up from the floor."

"I can't!", Nick hiccuped. "Jeff, you need to finish your test. I already messed up my own life, I don't wanna be blamed for ruining your future!"

"What are you talking about?" Jeff started another try to get the boy away from the cold tiled floor.

"I... I feel sick!", Nick suddenly whimpered, a hint of panic in his voice. "I think I'm gonna throw up... oh god..." He crawled over to the toilet. "Go away Jeff, please...this is so humiliating!"

Jeff decided to ignore his begging. Instead, he helped the boy to get up and kneel over the toilet. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone right now. And you don't have to be ashamed at all. I'm sure there will be one day when I need your help, and I know that you'll be there then. It's okay Nick, everything is going to be okay." He rubbed little circles on Nick's back as the boy started vomiting. "You'll be fine, I promise."

…

"Someone seen Nick and Jeff?", Wes asked frowning, looking around in the cafeteria. "They wanted to meet me here, but I haven't seen them around."

"I have a clue!" David popped out of nowhere. I just heard a few kids chatting about two students running out of an exam, history by Mr Tanner. Isn't that their class?"

"It is!", Wes nodded, already getting up. "I should have a look, just to make sure they're okay."

"Having children isn't that easy, isn't it?" David smirked a little, but Wes knew him long enough to see the well-hidden worry behind his expression.

"It isn't. Do me a favor and stay here, just in case they'll appear before I manage to find them, okay? Thanks dude!"

Wes went straight way to the shared room of the boys and knocked.

"It's unlocked.", Jeff answered from the inside, so Wes pushed the door open and entered the room.

The Asian's eyes grew wide as he scanned the scene. "Jeff, _what the hell happened?_", he whispered, trying not to awake the brunette boy, who had passed out on the blonde's chest.

Jeff only shook his head and ran his fingers softly through the brown hair, while he was looking at his best friend. "I don't know. We had our history exam today, and he ran out of the room all of a sudden. I followed him, how could I stay in there without knowing what was going on? What would you have done?"

Wes sighed. "The same, I guess. I'll talk to Mr Tanner or the principal to make sure that you can retry the exam, both of you. But why did he run out?"

"I don't know!", Jeff repeated, voice thick with emotions. "I found him laying on the bathroom floor. He was sick, I... I don't know. I wish I would. Once he was better, I brought him over here, and he fell asleep almost immediately. It was a panic attack or anything like this. It... scared me!"

Wes fell silent for a long time. "I'm worried, too!", he stated eventually.

"Don't be!" A tired voice cut in before Jeff had the chance to reply. "I know that I'm a mess, but I can deal with it. I'm fine."

"Stop lying to us!" Jeff had an exhausted expression all over his face himself. "I saw you, Nicky, you aren't fine at all."

"Why didn't you leave me alone?", Nick hissed. "I don't want to be seen like this. I don't want to be poor little Nicky, I want to be as normal as anybody else here!" He started sobbing violently. Jeff tried to put his arms around him again, but Nick slapped his hands away. "Don't touch me! Don't!" He jumped up and ran out of the room, closing the bathroom door behind him with a loud noise.

Wes and Jeff looked at each other with wide eyes. Nobody of them had ever seen Nick like that.

"Should I go and look after him?", Jeff asked unsure.

Wes shook his head. "Give him a moment. I think he will calm down soon."

"He is under enormous pressure!", Jeff excused his friend. "Don't be mad, at him, he..."

"Jeff!", Wes interrupted the younger boy. He could sense how much Jeff put the situation on himself. "Take a breath, okay? Everything is okay."

Jeff indeed shut his mouth and inhaled deeply. Wes found himself stepping closer to the bed. "Can I hug you?", he asked hesitantly. Jeff nodded without words and looked at the Asian so pleadingly, that he couldn't do anything else than wrap his arms around the slim frame.

"I'm scared!", Jeff finally admitted. "I can't tell you anything, Wes. I... I promised it, and I never break a promise."

"I never would try to make you to! Look, Jeff. I know a little bit about him, and I am also not going to tell you what he told me... even if I'm sure that you already know it.", he finished with a little smile. "But if it gets to hard to deal with it, you have to find a way to let it out. And if you need someone to talk to, to cry or simply just need a hug, come to me. Now matter when. Promise?"

"Promise!" Jeff was completely honest. He'd told Wes the truth, he never broke promises. He would find a way to keep the one that he gave Wes without breaking the one he gave Nick before. It would be complicated, but he would find a way.

Wes hold him two minutes longer before Jeff let out a deep sigh. "He was so angry, Wes."

"But not at you. I think he was mostly angry at himself.", Wes tried to comfort the blonde.

"Do you think he hates me now?"

"I could never hate you!" Nick cried out painfully. He stood inside the bathroom's door since maybe a minute. Neither Wes or Jeff had noticed him, deeply in their own thoughts, and he had been scared to simply walk over there. He was ashamed about his explosion. But now, hearing his best friend asking if he _hates_ him, in such a broken voice, it... it... Nick had tears in his eyes again.

"I hurt you!" He ran over to the blonde boy, taking over Wes' place. "I'm so, so sorry, Jeff... Jeffy... I could never, _never _hate you. I lo... gosh, I'm so sorry, Jeffy!"

The boys cried, clung onto each other. Wes stood up slowly. He felt out of place, it was obviously that the right thing to do was to let them alone.

He returned into his own dorm, completely forgetting that David was waiting for him in the cafeteria.

He opened the door. Thad turned away from his laptop and smiled at him. "Hey, what are you doin... Wes? What's wrong?" The smile dropped in the second he looked at his friend.

"Nothing!" Wes tried to keep a blank expression on his face.

"Wessy?"

Even though Wes and Thad were very close, Thad didn't call him very often by his pet name. Okay, when he was drunk he did it a lot, but he only drank at the few Warbler parties. That he used the name now was a sign that he was really worried, Wes knew that. He crossed the room, slipped out of his shoes and crawled onto his bed. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I' scared about my babies, _our babies._", he corrected himself with a little smile as Thad opened his mouth to protest. "They... are having a hard time."

"I know!", Thad agreed, causing Wes to look at him surprised. "Hey, I have eyes, do you remember? Just because nobody tells me anything I still see what happens around me!" Wes nodded in agreement, That really was a very sensitive person when it came to emotions. That's also why he should have known that he couldn't just pretend that he had nothing on his mind.

"But Wes..." Thad's voice snapped him out of his thoughts again. "Look at them attentively. They have their struggles, sure, but have you noticed how close they are? They already trust each other so deeply, and they just know each other since a few weeks. When have you lately seen one of them without the other? They're like _inseparable_, and you shouldn't underestimate how strong they are together."

Wes closed his eyes and tried to remember the last days. Thad was right, Nick and Jeff were always together. Even when there were solo auditions – Jeff already had auditioned 5 times, the last two times together with Nick – they sung to each other, barely breaking their eye contact for seconds. "You're right.", he admitted. "But I'm worried nonetheless."

"Aw, you're such a great mom, you can't deny it any more." Thad snuggled up to his friend and chuckled lightly. Wes snorted, but a smile lay on his lips.

"Okay, you've won, _daddy!_ But I'll kick your ass when you tell anyone about it. Not a single word!" He cuddled a bit closer. "This is why you are my best friend. Have I told you that I love you?"

"I love you too!" Thad pulled a bit back to look at the Asian. "You're feeling better now?"

"A lot. Thanks." Wes ran a hand through his hair before getting up again. "I forgot that David is waiting for me in the cafeteria. Mind to join me?"

"Not at all!" Thad got up himself, slipped in his shoes and followed his friend out of the room.

…

Nick felt completely bad about what happened. He had caused Jeff to cry, the guy that always had been there for him. He'd _hurt _him. His fingers slid onto his own arm, pressing against the old bruises, which still were very sensitive spots. Somehow the light pain helped him to stay focused.

"Jeff... sorry. Just... sorry.", he whispered, like countless times before. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's okay!", Jeff eventually whispered back, his voice sounding pressed.

"No, it's not. You have to believe me, Jeff. I never wanted to upset you, and I can't stand the though of us not being friends anymore."

"Idiot! I said it's okay." Jeff pulled back and grinned weakly. "I know what you're going through, or at least I have an idea of it. I was overreacting, nothing important."

"_You_ are important to me!" Nick gently stroked some light blonde hair away to kiss Jeff's forehead softly, like Jeff did when he was sad a while ago. "And it's not fair that I put all my mess up on you. I'm really trying, Jeff, but sometimes... sometimes it feels like nothing is ever going to change, and it's so frustrating. That's not excuse, though."

"I wouldn't want it any other way – well, without the yelling-at-me part." Jeff poked his friend in an attempt to lighten up the mood. To be honest, it wasn't very successful. "Nick, don't you see how much you already changed? You refused to let me, or _anybody_ in at the beginning of this year. And now look at you, taking care about me! You're stronger than you know, Nicky!"

Nick pulled Jeff close again. "That's not about me, right now. It's about you. You're also so strong, but you shouldn't have to be all the time. I don't want you to pretend that everything's okay if it's not! You're helping me through so much, Jeff, give me the chance to be there for you, too!"

"Nicky... what was wrong today? Why did you run out?"

"Jeff..."

"I know what you said. You don't want to talk about you right now. But you know what? _I want_, and if you really care about me as much as you say, you will tell me what's wrong. You actually scared me, Nick. I never seen you like that before, I was close to call the nurse!" Wow. Jeff hadn't noticed how much anger was inside of him before he let it all out in these few words.

Nick swallowed thickly. "My parents told me that the only way I could stay in Dalton was reaching top grades to show them that the school is worth it's money. Otherwise they'll transfer me after the year to another high school. Not my old one, thank god, but another one that's not as expensive as Dalton. Even if they have enough money." He snorted. "When I turned the paper around, my head was empty. I didn't knew the answer to a single on of these questions. I knew I would fail the test, and that would have meant that I have to leave Dalton, that I will lose the Warblers... and you!" The last two words came out in a whisper, barely loud enough that Jeff could understand them.

Nick began to shake slightly, and Jeff felt all his anger leaving his body. He still was curled into Nick's side, not in the position to be the comforter for once. That doesn't kept him from snuggling closer and to give the shorter boy a sign that he'd understood. "I knew that I was irrational, that it knew every answer, that I had to get through this panic, but I couldn't. I tried to fight it down, but it grew with every second that passed. Then I noticed that I was about to cry, faint or throw up in the middle of the class, and I really didn't want to do that, so I left."

"And I followed you!"

"Yeah." Nick hesitated for a second. "And I am so thankful about it, also if I haven't shown it at all. I've been an ass. You're the best friend I could ask for, Jeff."

Jeff finally smiled again. "I promise you one thing. Scratch that, I swear it: You will never lose me, Nick. Never. If there's one thing you don't have to worry about at all, this is it. I'll be there until the day you want me to leave."

"That would mean forever.", Nick stated with shivering voice.

"Exactly!"

They reminded in their close position for a while. Something had changed between them, but none of them would have been able to name it. But maybe there wasn't even a use for words, when just laying cuddled up on a bed could make them feel so damn comfortable.

**TBC**

**Gosh, the end is too cheesy, isn't it? I'm sorry, but I needed a little fluff after all of this chaos. **

**I hope this chapter came out as I wanted it to... I wanted to show what it means to be a Warbler, how close I imagine their friendships. Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Finals. Eating up my time, and all I want to do is to write. Seriously, it's driving me nuts. But only two weeks left before it's all over, and then I'll have a plenty of time, yay! :)  
So sorry it took me so long again, I hope you like this chapter. **

Once again they found themselves outside of the choir room, waiting for the council to make their decisions. They sat next to each other, in a weird mixture of hope and desperation. Maybe they already should have gotten used to it, but they hadn't. These feelings probably would never got old.

Usually Blaine would be sitting on the bench right next to them, a self-confident, cocky smile all over his face. Nick and Jeff liked Blaine a lot, but seriously? This damn smile... sometimes they just wanted to shake him until he stopped. Everybody knew that he was going to win anyway, but why couldn't he act like there was at least a little chance for them to get a solo?

But today wasn't an usual day. For the first time since they joined the Warblers, Blaine had decided not to audition. Jeff suspected that it wasn't an attempt to let them finally get their song, but one to get the new kids attention. He looked at the new boy – _Kurt_, he had to remember that name eventually – for a second. He seemed to be at least as nervous as he and Nick were.

Kurt somehow noticed his gaze and cleared his throat awkwardly. "So. How many times have you guys auditioned?"

"Three!", Nick answered, not trusting his voice to build a whole sentence.

"Six!", Jeff added.

Kurt whistled quietly, also not knowing what to say anymore.

Jeff was about to open his mouth again when Blaine left the choir room. What did he say? Did he actually congratulate him and Nick? _Wait, what?_ Slightly confused he noticed that he was standing. Suddenly Nick's arms were around him. He felt himself being pulled inside of the practice room. His head was a mess. Did they make it? Did they actually make it, after all these failed tries? Jeff moved like a zombie. Everything was strangely blurry. It wasn't before he felt someone – Thad, he recognized a second later – hugging him closely that he finally understood. _They made it!_

Wes carefully pulled Nick in a hug before one of the other boys had the chance to. Nick stiffened immediately. "It's okay!", he soothed with low voice, so that no one except of the younger boy could hear him. "I let you go if you want me to. You don't need to hug anyone. I can tell them to let you alone, or you can leave if it all becomes too much. I could come with you. Or maybe... you will find the strength to smile and to survive this somehow. You decide, Nick, _you_ are in control of this situation!"

"You're right. I know that no one would harm me, but..."

"The head knows, but the feelings are still there?", Wes suggested.

Nick smiled a bit, but if someone had looked into his eyes right in this moment, he'd seen how hurt and sad he really was. "Kinda, yeah. But I want it to end, Wes. I want to be normal!"

"Aw, Nicky. Don't worry so much, we love you just the way you are." Wes chuckled and pushed the boy away a few inches, so he could look at him. "Do you think you'll be fine?"

"I hope so!" Nick smiled weakly, but stepped back nonetheless. Soon he felt another pair of arms around him, causing him to stop breathing for a second, but he eventually managed to relax. "Damn, David, you'll break my bones if you hold me that tight!"

Wes chuckled again and turned away, walking over to Jeff. "Congrats, kiddo!"

"Kiddo?" Jeff raised a brow and looked at Wes skeptically. "Seriously Wes? What are you, my father?"

"Shut up!" Wes grabbed the younger boy and pulled him into his arms. He felt Jeff's arms tighten around his own body.

"I still can't believe...", the blonde whispered, his voice fading before he managed to end the sentence.

"Believe it. You were awesome! You totally deserved to win."

…

"Mh, sorry, you... three and six, right? Got a moment?"

Nick and Jeff looked at each other, a puzzled expression all over their face as they turned to the boy who'd called them out. "Dude, did you just call us three and six?"

"Did you just call me dude?", the boy asked back and shot Jeff a deadly glare. "My name is Kurt. And you never introduced yourself to me, so I don't know your names."

"I'm Jeff, and this is Nick!", Jeff quickly explained.

"Okay, then. I just wanted to congratulate you. I heard you singing through the door, and you were simply amazing."

"Same goes for you!" Nick smiled shyly. "You're a countertenor, right? I really thought that you are going to win."

Kurt shrugged. "Blaine said that the song I chose was too specific, and that I should try something that is more compatible to an all-boys-choir. Besides, I'm used in never getting a solo. I just thought... this school might be a new beginning."

"It is!", Nick answered with slightly rough voice. "Just... give it a try."

Kurt raised a brow. "Well, thanks, but you have no idea with what kind of problems I had to deal and still have. You can't assess if transferring to Dalton was the right decision or not if I'm not sure about it myself. There are some things that aren't easy to forget one day to another."

"Oh, I'm totally aware of this." There was a note in his voice Jeff had never heard before.

Kurt just snorted. "How would you? You know nothing about me."

"Neither do you.", Nick hissed, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Nick, Kurt... please!" Jeff tried to cut in, but it was pointless. They just continued discussing without even noticing him.

"Look, thr... Nick. I don't say that you have nothing to worry about. What I mean is just... I don't know. I need a sign that things will get better eventually. I really could have needed this solo."

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you wanted to congratulate us? Well, to me it seems more as if you want to make us feel bad and refuse to take the solo, so you can grab it yourself."

"What?" Kurt gasped and his eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to Nick. "That's an insult. I would never do anything like that. I was just trying to be nice, and you're just... ungrateful."

"_I_ am? What about you? Did you miss the part when I tried to reassure you that this school is indeed the chance for a new beginning? You could have believed me, because_ I know_!"

Jeff flinched slightly as the brunette boy laughed bitterly. He tried to grab his shoulder, but Nick just shook him off. "Nicky..."

"_Stop Nicky-ing me!_" Nick threw his arms in the air and sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. I'll see you later." He twirled around and quickly went down the hallway.

"Nicky!", Jeff yelled after him, but Nick didn't even look back. Jeff bit his lip and shot a look to Kurt, who clearly was just as upset as his best friend seemed to be. "Hey, you... Kurt. Nick was right. You'll be fine, it's just a matter of time. If you need someone to talk to, you can come to me anytime. I'm sure same goes for Nick, maybe he can understand you better than you think by now. Everyone has a story on his own, Kurt, especially at this school."

"Worldly wisdom by a freshman?" Kurt shook his head as he heard how mean his own voice sounded and took a deep breath. "Well... thanks, I guess. I... gotta go." With that he left.

Jeff stood in the hallway all alone. "Wasn't we supposed to celebrate?", he muttered quietly to himself, before making his way to his dorm.

Nick was sitting on his bed as he opened the door, chin rested on his knees that he had pulled to his chest.

"What's up, three?", Jeff asked with a little smirk as he crawled besides him. Nick frowned and opened his mouth, but Jeff interrupted him before he was even able to build a word. "Oh, come on. You're not mad at me because I'm calling you three. If you're honest, it's a pretty cool nickname. So we can skip this part and you tell me what's going on in this beautiful head of yours, okay?" _Shit!_ He really had to watch his words. Friends didn't call each other beautiful, and he surely didn't wanted Nick to know that he liked them a lot more as friends did usually. He would just scare the boy away and destroy their friendship – not a really good perspective.

Nick sighed. "You know me too well already. I'm... disappointed?" It came more out like a question then a statement.

"In Kurt?", Jeff asked carefully. If he learned one thing about Nick, it was that there was no use in pushing him.

"In myself." Nick buried his face into his hands and refused to look at his blonde friend. "I acted like crazy. Like someone I'm not. Someone I... never wanted to be."

"You just got angry, Nick. Happens to the best of us." Jeff rested his head on Nick's shoulder and closed his eyes.

In the second their bodies touched, Nick felt all of the inner tension fading away. Jeff always had this effect on him. It felt, like nothing bad could ever happen as long as they were together. Gosh, even in his mind it sounded way to cheesy for Nick's liking. "Thank you, six!", he whispered softly.

They stayed in this position for a while, then they decided to get up and check what Wes was doing. Maybe he wanted to grab a coffee or something.

…

When they knocked against the door, it was Thad who opened it. Nick looked at Jeff startled, not sure what to do.

"Hey!" Thad smiled warmly. "Come in!"

Much to Nick's relief, Wes was inside of the room, sitting on the floor and working through some sheet music. "I just picked your duet!", he informed them proudly. "What do you think about _How to safe a life_? But bit slower, more like an actual ballad. I think you guys will kill it!" He glanced up again and frowned. "Hey, shouldn't you be a tiny bit more cheerful? What happened?"

"Why do you..."

"No way, Jeff. Spit it!"

Before one of them had even the chance to answer, the door flew open and Blaine burst inside the room. "Here you are! What -"

"I didn't heard you knocking!" Wes stated calmly, cutting the furious boy off. "Can I actually help you, Blaine?"

"You two! Nick, especially. Have you insisted that Kurt tried to steal your solo?"

"Actually... yeah!" Nick quickly looked away as he saw the anger in Blaines eyes, but there was no use in lying. He wouldn't believe him anyway. This was it, he finally messed up everything he'd built up since he attended Dalton. Blaine was livid, he would hurt him. Of course he would hurt him. There was no way getting out of it. He prepared inwardly for the pain, but it wasn't coming. Blaine yelled at him, yeah, but he couldn't understand a single word. Why didn't he just hit him already? The waiting, the not-knowing when it would happen, that was the hardest part. He could deal with pain, he clearly could, but he couldn't stand the thought of losing everything. He was closer to happy then he had been for years, and now he should lose everything because of a stupid solo?

"Blaine! Blaine, enough!" Wes finally managed to get the boy to shut his mouth. "It's enough. Look at him."

Nick was deadly pale, his hands clenched to fists. He was shaking violently, and even if he still hadn't looked up, they could see the tears in his eyes.

"Kurt can sing the solo with Jeff. I promise, I... I... please..." His breathing fastened and he continued his desperate begging. "Just don't hate me, please. Don't... if you want to hit me, could you... no... please, don't..."

"Thad, get him out!", Wes commanded, and his roommate immediately guided the young boy outside the dorm.

"But..." Jeff was about to protest, but Wes cut him off.

"I need you in here. I want this thing cleared. You need to tell me what happened. Blaine, do you think you could get Kurt to join us?"

Blaine frowned. "I don't think he should..."

"I need to hear both sides of the story, and since you weren't with them, Kurt has to talk for himself. I don't want any personal problems to cause fighting between the Warblers."

"Well, obviously it's been Nick's fault, and he already offered to give Kurt his part, so why should I bother him any more? He had a rough time, Wes. I don't want him to be unhappy."

"Yay, so let's put all the blame on Nick, because he has obviously such a great time right now.", Jeff hissed, and Blaine stepped back a little, intimidated by the look in his eyes.

"Jeff, drop it. Blaine, as much as I hate it to say, Kurt isn't an innocent angel. The first time he came here was to spy, do you remember? And even if I don't wanna blame him for anything, you surely can't go and put it on Nick, Jeff is totally right in this point. That's why I want to talk to Kurt, too. So are you gonna call him or do I have to?"

…

"Nick?" Thad had walked him into his and Jeff's room. Now he was trying to get through the walls the boy had put up. He placed a little bottle of water inside Nick's shaking hands and steadied them with his own. "Come on, you have to drink something. I don't want you to faint or something, please Nick."

Eventually his words reached the boy. He tried to sit up a little straighter and carefully drank a sip of water. He still seemed pretty shaken, though. But the more he get back into reality, the more a huge wave of shame crushed over him. "Sorry!", he mumbled and blushed. "You can go back now, I'm okay."

"Yeah. And Wes isn't obsessed with gavels. Blaine never listens to Katy Perry. David is white. And Jeff isn't totally into yo-... yoga and dancing!", he finished quickly and bit his tongue. Just because he saw much, didn't meant he should tell anyone what he noticed. Especially not one of the involved people.

"Yoga?", Nick frowned. "I never have heard him talking about yoga."

"Not? Then I guess I've misunderstood something." Thad shrugged it off quickly, satisfied noticing that a little color went back into Nick's cheeks. "Nick, what were you afraid of?", he asked hesitantly. He wasn't as good with words as Wes was. "I mean, it was Blaine after all. Our hobbit isn't really scary."

"I... honestly I don't wanna talk about it, Thad. I just freaked out. That happens every now and then, and seriously? I hate it, but I don't know what to do to stop it."

Thad watched him thoughtfully. Okay, he wasn't a great talker, but maybe Nick didn't need to talk at all. Maybe he needed something completely different. He smirked and patted the brunette's shoulder. "Come with me."

"Why?", Nick questioned perplexed as the slightly older boy got up and went over to the door.

"I may have an idea... maybe it's nonsense, but it's at least worth a try, don't you think?"

**TBC**

**Argh, I don't like this Review begging in the end, but... no, I don't say a word.**

**I just hope you guys enjoyed! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hey, I never met you, and this is crazy, but here's the chapter, sorry for being lazy...**_

**Gosh, sorry, I just can't get the song out of my mind. Help! I'm going insane! :)  
I'm so amazed about the reviews I got for the last chapter, have I ever told you that I love you? Everyone who reads this story, in fact. I guess it's time to say _THANK YOU_ to all of you!**

**Less than three six! ;)**

Nick was silent as he followed Thad across the school. It took a while until he recognized where Thad brought him. "The gym, Thad? Really? What are we doing here?"

"Not the patient type of guy, hu?" Thad smirked and turned the light on. "You said that you don't wanna talk, but you clearly are far away from okay."

"Whatever. So we're going into the gym because...?"

"Just follow me!"

Without another word he crossed the empty hall. He opened a door and let Nick step in, before he closed it again. Nick tilted his head to look around. The room was pretty small, claustrophobic people would probably have problems to stay in there. Then he noticed the sandbags hanging from the ceiling. "Wait... boxing? Seriously?"

Thad nodded with a little smile. "Yeah. It's a great sport when you're stressed. And Nick, you obviously are, don't even try to deny it. Besides, I planned in taking you here anyway."

Nick frowned. "Really? Why?"

"I want to know if you are good."

"And... why exactly are you worried about my boxing skills? Which, what I can tell you right now, are nonexistent!"

Thad shrugged. "We'll see. And I can't talk about it right now. You'll know it when the time is right."

Nick shifted awkwardly and stepped back a few inches. "That's... actually a little scary... in a very strange way. It feels like a bad movie scene." He wasn't really scared, but a weird feeling rose in his stomach.

Thad just tilted his head and took the younger boy in. "So now you wanna talk? Or would you try it?"

"Well, I'm here anyway. So I'll give it a shot."

"Nice." He opened a locker. "We always have spare closing and equipment down hear. Don't worry, it's all clean. Dalton is very attentive when it comes to that. Here, I'm gonna help you with the bandages." Thad made sure that the boy put on all the equipment that was necessary to protect him from hurting himself. Before he handed him the gloves he looked at him questionably. "You might wanna change first."

"Actually, I..." Nick closed his mouth again as he noticed that he had no idea what he should tell Thad. He bit his lower lip and rubbed his nose uncomfortably.

"You can't punch the bag in a blazer, Nick. Wheres the problem?"

Nick didn't answer but looked down, and suddenly Thad understood. "Nick, whatever it is. I promise I won't say a single word if you don't want me too. And I will tell nobody."

Nick sighed. "Seems like I don't have a chance, hu? Okay, let me change quickly, and then let's get to the punching part."

"I'll be right outside."

Thad left, and Nick changed his clothes. He grimaced as he observed his own arms. Even if the bruises were slowly fading, they were still noticeable. "Thad?"

The door opened, and the older student stepped in. He looked at Nick's skin for a moment, before he met his eyes. He smiled a tiny bit, making the boy feel much more comfortable as he was seconds ago. "Okay. Let's get you the gloves on."

…

Jeff wanted to be angry. He really wanted to be, to yell, to get the frustration off of his chest. But he couldn't. Not when Kurt sat on Wes' bed like this, lost and insecure. Not when Blaine protectively sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around the pale boys shoulder. Not when Wes looked at the two boys with worried eyes, almost the same look he sometimes gave Nick and himself. Everything was fucked up. He really didn't had the strength to be angry anymore.

"I'm sorry!", Kurt finally spoke up, his voice barely audible.

Blaine frowned and scooted a little closer. "For what? You weren't the one making false accusations about others."

Kurt sighed deeply and shrugged his arm off. "No, but I was the one bitching around when another person tried to be nice." He looked up to lock eyes with Jeff. "I'm really sorry. I already was the minute after I left."

"Don't put all the blame on you, Kurt. I already told Nick..."

"Blaine!" Three voices said this one name, but they sounded completely different. Kurt's voice was soft, a little tired but completely sympathetic. Wes sounded stricter, he just wanted him to let the people speak who actually knew what happened from first hand. Jeff, however, spat the name, feeling the anger he couldn't sense earlier rising up in his chest.

"If you can't be quiet and just listen to them, I'll kick you out!", Wes threatened. The expression in his eyes made it clear to everyone that he wasn't joking at all.

Jeff opened his mouth to speak as he caught the look in Kurt's face again. His lips shivered, and he just seemed unbearable sad. It didn't felt right at all. Jeff sighed quietly. He couldn't stand seeing people like this. Suddenly he felt guilty. "Could I speak alone with Kurt for a minute?", he asked calmly, noticing how the pale boy flinched by his demand.

"Sure." Wes already got up and pulled the hesitating Blaine with him. "We'll be in Blaine's and David's dorm. You can follow us when you're done talking or just call us."

"Wes, do you really think that this is a good idea?"

Wes rolled his eyes. "Jeff, do you want to upset Kurt any more?"

"Of course not!" Jeff answered, slightly outraged.

"Then, my dear Blaine, I think it's a pretty good idea indeed!"

…

"Yeah, you got it. Control your moves. You have to know where you're hands are, Nick. Never let the defense go down."

"It shouldn't be so complicated. I mean, I got only two arms." Nick wiped the sweat from his face, his brunette bangs already sticking against his forehead.

Thad laughed softly. "You maybe wouldn't believe me if I tell you that you're doing great, but you do."

"I don't know..." Nick punched against the sandbag another time. "But I have to admit that you were right in one point: It feels great!"

"I could say I told you so..." Thad chuckled and grabbed one of Nick's hands to correct the angle. He could already tell that the boy had talent, and if he kept on training, maybe he could invite him to Dalton's fight club someday. They were a bit low on members right now, and it wasn't really easy to find new ones because nobody who wasn't in the club was supposed to know about it. It was fight club, at all. He must have been drifting apart for a while, because he didn't noticed that Nick's movement had sped up until the younger boy let out a painful groan. "Whoa, slowly, Nick. You'll hurt yourself!"

Nick didn't listen to him. He repeated the punches again and again, with all his power and strength he could raise.

"Nick, hey, Nick. Take a break."

If any possible, Nick increased his efforts. He didn't wanted to stop, not when it made him feel so well. He felt strong, for the first time since years. He finally was the one in action, he could pretend that he was able to defeat himself. He didn't wanted this feeling to fade.

"Nick!" All of a sudden, he felt himself being pulled away from the punching bag. Thad had grabbed his wrists and tried to lock eyes with him, but Nick didn't wanted to. He _didn't!_ "Let me go!", he pleaded, trying to break free.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself, Nick. Even with the bandages and gloves, it can went badly if you use the false technique, and you surely did. Don't let anger control your moves!"

"I said let me go!"

Thad removed his hands from Nick's wrists, just to grab his shoulders and pull the boy a few inches closer. "Calm down, now." Nick struggled to break out, but Thad just tightened his grip. All of a sudden, the mask of anger fell from Nicks face, it turned into pure anguish within seconds. He tried to turn and run out, but his legs didn't move. Instead, they just gave up, so that the brunette boy fell onto the ground, tears streaming down his face once more."

"_Shit!_", he yelled, and Thad jumped startled. Since he knew Nick the boy always had been very quiet, so the yelling came very unexpected for him. He quickly followed Nick on the floor, trying to sooth him.

"Don't say that it'll be okay, Thad. Just don't! I thought it would be, and now look at me. I'm to weak, and I hate it. _I hate it!_" Nick almost choked on his sobs, but he wasn't in a mood to let Thad hug him or comfort him at all. He just wanted everything to end.

Stunned by the outburst, Thad searched for the right words. It was clear to him that Nick didn't needed any more comforting nothings. When he finally spoke up, he just said what came to his mind. "This is not weakness, Nick. Only fatigue."

…

After Wes and Blaine left the room, Kurt and Jeff sat there in an awkward silence for a minute.

"So, you... wanted to talk!", Kurt eventually stated, looking everywhere but in Jeff's face.

"I did. And I have so much to say, but I don't know where to start." Jeff stretched his body and flinched slightly as his back made a cracking noise.

"Oh, that didn't sound too good, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tensed." Jeff rolled his shoulders for a moment. "Kurt, I... I just wondered why you closed off so instantly as Nick tried to be nice?"

"Straight to the point, hu? Well, maybe it's the best way." Kurt sighed and stared into the air before he spoke hesitantly. "It was something in his words. I can't really point out _what_ it was, but... hm, I need to take a step back. Look, at my former high school, people wasn't as tolerant as they seem to be here. In fact, they were pretty prejudiced and... well, dumb. It gave one unwritten rule: If you stand out of the mass, there obviously has to be something wrong with you. And I stood out!"

Jeff nodded understandingly, he could tell that Kurt was special, even if he didn't knew him too well. But he couldn't get into his mind that people could take this as an annoyance.

"I'll spare you the details, but I didn't had the best time of my life there. Well, at least I hope so!" Kurt laughed, but there was no happiness in the sound. "I was in the Glee club, and it was nothing like being a part of the Warblers, Jeff. The New Directions were hated by almost every other student, they tried to torture us and never let us forget that we were the losers. That wasn't easy for any of us, especially not for those who used to be popular before joining the club. But it had a good side, the members grew together like a family and developed deep friendships. At least most of them did. But I... I don't know. We met a lot, we talked, but I never was really close to any of them, even that was all I wanted..."

"But why?" Jeff covered his mouth with his hands. He hadn't planned to interrupt Kurt, he'd spoken without thinking. "Sorry."

"Never mind. I can't tell you why or when I noticed, I just always was out of place. The people there called themselves my friends, but when there was a competition to get a solo, it wasn't important anymore. I'm talented, I know I am, but I never got a chance in this club. A boy singing a female part? It was to strange for our teacher, so he gave the parts to girls who couldn't sing them as half as good as I could. And no one ever stood up for me."

"That's why you wanted the solo so badly?"

"In a way, yeah. But that doesn't explain why I got so outraged before, right? I... I've been bullied. Every single day. And no-one seemed to notice. They all knew, there's no way anyone could have missed it. But no-one cared. Not the students, not the teachers, not even my friends. _Friends!_", Kurt snorted. "At first I tried to get through all of it on my own, but it came to a point when I couldn't take it anymore. I asked for help, more than once. And everyone kept telling me that it would get better. That I just had to try to fit in. Blaine told me the same about the Warblers, by the way." Kurt fell silent for a moment, his voice thick with emotions. Jeff considered getting up and sitting next to him, but after a minute Kurt spoke again. "Something in Nick's words reminded me of them. I know that he couldn't knew, but... gosh, I'm a human. I'm not always acting logically."

"If you did, you would be a Vulcan!" Jeff chuckled, but hid his face immediately. "Not the time for jokes, sorry. Plus, I outed myself as a nerd, didn't I?"

"Somehow you did, indeed, but I don't mind that at all!" Kurt smiled back carefully. "Listen, Jeff. I was being a bitch, I know, but I really do like you and your boyfriend."

"Oh, he isn't..." Jeff blushed deeply.

Kurt raised a brow. "Oh, he... oh. Mh, sorry, then. However, I like both of you, and I hope that you'll give me the chance to make it up to you."

"You don't need to make anything up, Kurt. I understand your reaction now, and I'm sure Nick also will. Maybe better than me."

"You mentioned that earlier!", Kurt remembered. "What happened to him?"

Jeff shifted uncomfortably. "Kurt... look. I don't want to cut you out, but it isn't my story to tell. You should talk to Nick once, and maybe he'll tell you."

"You're right, sorry."Kurt got up, walked over to the younger boy and offered him his hand. "You're a good guy, Jeff. It's... unused for me to see how much you guys care for each other, but it's amazing. How you protect Nick, how Wes makes sure everyone is comfortable. How Blaine stood up for me, even if he just knows me for a few weeks. I hope... I thought the New Directions were a family, but you guys really are. And I hope... that I can be a part of it!"

"Just stay the way you are, Kurt!" Jeff also got up and took the offered hand. "You are amazing, and I hope that someday I can call you my friend."

"Aww, Jeff!" Kurt's eyes were suspiciously shiny as he threw his arms around Jeff and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you so, so much, I hope that too!" He stepped back and smiled widely. "I'll went over and tell Wes and Blaine that we cleared it up."

"And I should go and find Nick!", Jeff sighed. "I want to make sure that he is okay." He tilted his head. "You could give me your number, than I could send you a message... if you... maybe want to come over later?" He smiled insecurely.

Kurt hesitated firstly, but then they changed their phones to type in their number. "Tell him I'm sorry, yeah?"

"I will! See you later, Kurt."

Jeff headed out of the room and right into his dorm, but he found the room empty. Unsure what to do now he stood in the middle of the floor, looking around between the door and his bed. Finally he decided to wait for Nick. He hadn't the tiniest hint where the boy could be. And, after all, it would be nice to have a few moments for himself. He didn't mind taking care of Nick, but every now and then he needed a little time for himself, time to sort out his thoughts.

He crawled onto his bed, stuffed a pillow behind his back and leaned against the wall. He grabbed a book from his nightstand, but his thoughts were drifting apart before he was even able to open it. Kurt had thought Nick and him were boyfriends... ridiculous. Jeff felt his cheeks turning into a deep shade of red once more. What if the boy was right? Was that the reason he cared so damn much about Nick? No, that couldn't be true... could it?

However, he had to be careful. He didn't planned to destroy their friendship, Nick was far too important too him to even take a risk. So there was no way he could talk to Nick about his feelings, especially since he wasn't sure what he felt at all. But on the other hand, he couldn't just withdraw from the brunette... he wouldn't understand, and it would hurt him. Jeff sighed, who was he kidding? It would hurt both of them. He decided to worry about it later, when he was sure that there was a need to worry. Maybe, after he'd taken a nap, he would only laugh about Kurt's words. Maybe... hopefully...

When Nick finally entered the room, Jeff had fallen into a light sleep, his book still in his hands. Nick walked closer to carefully remove it and cover his friend with a blanket as Jeff's eyes opened slightly. "Nicky? Where have you been?", he asked, his voice still sleepy.

"Shh, we can talk later. I need a shower first, just go back to sleep.", Nick answered, smiling at the blonde, his voice barely more than a whisper. He made sure that Jeff was warm and comfortable, before he headed into the bathroom.

Jeff squeezed his eyes shut quickly, but he still saw Nick's face. The warm eyes as he'd looked at him. The usually so fluffy hair, that had seemed weirdly greasy. And the smile, this wicked, beautiful smile... Jeff's heart started beating faster. _Shit!_ That wasn't good.

That wasn't good at all.

…

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**You know what? Tomorrow and Friday are my last exams, then finals are over and I can write aaaall day long. I'm so excited, I got so much in my head that wants out! :)**

**Thanks to all readers, hope you like the next part!**

**... **

When Jeff woke up the next morning, something didn't feel right. The room seemed to move, and soon he started to feel dizzy. Damn, what was that? He narrowed his eyes slightly to get a clearer view, but it only caused a stabbing pain in his head. He hissed sharply, his hand rubbing his forehead. "Shit!", he cursed under his breath as he sat up slowly. He felt his stomach twist. It took a few deep breaths until he dared to get up. His legs were like jelly, and he quickly grabbed the backrest of his chair for hold.

The bathroom's door flew open, and with a happy "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Nick stepped into the dorm. He was already dressed in his uniform, which meant that it had to be late already. Nick wasn't exactly a morning person. Jeff tried to smile back, but he failed miserably. His roommate came closer, and Jeff could clearly see the worry his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!", Jeff pressed, but suddenly his legs just gave up. Luckily, Nick grabbed him before he could crash onto the ground.

"Whoa. That doesn't look like nothing." Nick helped Jeff to get back into bed and sat carefully onto the bedside. "You look like shit, Jeffy."

"I also feel like that!", Jeff confessed weakly. There was no need in denial anymore, not after he almost broke down in front of his best friend.

"I'll go get the nurse. You... just stay in bed, okay?" Nick ruffled his hair carefully. "God, Jeff, you're burning up. I'll hurry!"

Jeff groaned and closed his eyes after Nick left. He shouldn't have done that, because he started feeling dizzy again almost immediately. He quickly left his bed and stumbled into the bathroom, reaching the toilette just in time before he threw up everything that was in his stomach. Thanks god he hadn't eaten anything yet. As the bitter retching finally stopped, he let himself fell on the floor and pressed his forehead against the tiling. It didn't made him feel any better, though. Unable to move, he stayed there until he heard someone entering the dorm.

"Jeff?" Nicks voice was concerned. He wanted to answer, but he was afraid that he had to puke again once he opened his mouth. Nick would find him eventually, it wasn't like there were many places he could be.

It really took not more then a few seconds until Nick appeared besides him, followed by a women with curly gray hair. "Oh, Jeffy, you should have told me that you felt so bad. I hadn't left you alone!" Nick bit his lip and couldn't suppress a guilty feeling. He hated seeing his friend like this.

"Let's get you back into bed!", the older woman cut in. "Come on boy, can you stand? Walk? Okay, great!"

As soon as Jeff tried to get up from the floor, Nick was right beside him and pulled an arm around his waist. Jeff leaned into him, his movement far to insecure for Nick's liking. What if the boy was seriously ill? What if he had to go to the hospital? He led Jeff to his bed. After he made sure that the boy lay down in a comfortable way, he walked over to the closet do pull out a fresh shirt. He waited impatiently while the nurse checked Jeff's temperature and made a few other tests.

"I'm afraid you got a flu, sweetheart!" The nurse patted Jeffs head. "I'll get you medicine in a few minutes, and you better stay in bed for today." She was about to walk to the door as she turned around again and threw Nick a look. "And you are feeling alright? It's possible that you're infected as well."

"I don't know!", Nick answered hesitantly. "I feel a bit dizzy, but nothing too worse."

"Maybe you should take a day off as well. I'll send an excuse for both of you to your teachers. I'll be back really quick with the medicine." She left, and Nick hurried over to Jeff.

"Can you sit for a moment? We should change your shirt, it's sweaty."

"I'm sorry Nicky!" Jeff sounded miserable.

"For what? Oh, wait, I'll help you." He pulled the shirt over his friend's head and threw it into the laundry basket.

"I made you ill! You said it to the nurse, and it's my fault. I'm so, soo sorry!"

Nick chuckled quietly. "I feel fine, Jeff. She just offered me an excuse to stay here with you. Lay back!" He sat on the edge of Jeff's bed and caressed his forehead with his right hand. "No one should be alone when he's sick. Or do you want me to leave?"

"No!" Jeff locked eyes with Nick. "I... I hate to be alone. I miss my mom!" Hm? Where did that came from? But it didn't really matter anymore, the words were out and hit him with full power. Tears filled his eyes. He didn't wanted to cry, but he felt so weak and shitty at all and...

"Shh..." Nick used his thumbs to wipe the tears out of the corners of his eyes. "You're not alone, Jeffy. I'm here. Tell me about your mom!", he suggested with a little smile.

Jeff closed his eyes and clung tightly to Nick's hand. "She is amazing. I love her to death!" He opened an eye and threw a gaze to Nick. "That sounds silly, right?"

Nick smiled reassuring and tried to cover the slight jealousy that his words caused inside of him. "Not at all. It just sounds like she is a wonderful person."

Jeff's eyes shut again. "She was the one I came out to at first. I was... scared, I mean... I guess it's easy to no one. But she just hugged me and smiled and told me that it didn't change the tiniest bit. I guess she kinda knew before. I always watched her shows with her. Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural, mostly. She just said that McDreamy was hers, but I could pick any other of the guys there."

The door opened and the nurse stepped in. Nick made a sign to stay quiet and she nodded understandingly. She put a few bottles of pills on the nightstand, grabbed a paper from Nick's desk and wrote down the instructions.

"And when you were sick? What did she do then?", Nick asked, adding a silent _Thank you_ to the nurse, who left the room with a smile on her lips. Jeff hadn't noticed her at all, he was caught up in his memories.

"When it was possible, she took a day off from work to be there for me. She made... well, all the mom thing, you know? Cooking my favorite food when I was in the mood to eat, she sang for me, or we cuddled under a blanked and watched one of our shows!" Nick chuckled, causing Jeff to open his eyes and look at his friend in a hurtful way. "So, you think I'm ridiculous?"

"Not at all!" Another chuckle escaped Nick's lips, while his hand stroked up and down Jeff's cheek without even noticing. "I just thought about what I could do. And then I imagined myself cooking for you – don't get me wrong, I would do it, but... I don't think it would be eatable at all!" He slowly removed himself from the bed to look at the instructions the nurse had left.

"Nicky?" A weak voice followed him.

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave me alone." Again he sounded so miserable that Nick couldn't resist running back to his friend and take his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere. I just wanted to get your meds so you feel better soon." He stroked Jeff's palm before letting go.

"I hope it works.", Jeff groaned while Nick went over to the bathroom to get a glass full of water. "I think I'm gonna die!"

"I won't let you!"

When Nick came back, he helped Jeff to sit up in the bed. Jeff grimaced as Nick handed him a few pills. "I hate taking medicine!"

"And I hate seeing you sick. So take them for me?"

Jeff muttered under his breath, but took the pills nonetheless. "Are you happy now?"

Nick shrugged. "You look like a ghost. I guess I'm happy when you got a little color back! So... what do you want me to do, now? Sing a song or cuddle while watching a show?"

Jeff smiled weakly. "Aw, Nicky. You don't have to do that, you know... do you?"

"I know, but I want to!"

"I have all the Supernatural episodes on my laptop, so if you don't mind..."

"Not at all!" Nick quickly got Jeff's notebook from his desk and started it before he handed it to Jeff. He grabbed his own pillow and returned to the bed. The boys shifted a bit to find a position in which they both could lie comfortably and see the whole screen. "You have to pick an episode... and maybe explain what's going on there. You know, just a little input... for someone who'd never seen a single episode before.", he admitted with a sheepishly grin.

"You're kidding, right? Wait, no?" Jeff shook his head in a really aghast way, but he regretted it almost immediately. A fresh wave of nausea rushed over him, and he sprinted to the bathroom and smashed the door close behind him.

Nick sat up and sighed. He felt sorry for Jeff, and he wanted to make him healthy again, but he wasn't a magician. Neither was he a doctor, but maybe – he'd never told anyone about it – he would become one once he finished school. He hoped that his grades would be good enough to enter med school.

The bathroom's door opened again after a while, and a deadly pale Jeff came back into the room.

"I'm sorry!", he whispered. His breath smelled a bit like mint, obviously he'd brushed his teeth after throwing up.

Nick frowned questioningly. "Are you really apologizing for being sick?"

"Yeah.. No... I don't know. I feel disgusting, and you don't have to stay here with me."

Nick simply opened his eyes. "Come here, Jeffy." He pulled the boy into his arms, careful to not wrench him or exert pressure to his stomach. "You're not disgusting. Not at all. You're just ill." Without really noticing what he did he pressed a quick kiss on the blonde hair. "How do you feel, now?"

"Better, I guess. Tired. Hm... you still wanna watch the show?"

"Sure!"

Nick held Jeff in his arms throughout the whole episode. It was called Bloody Mary and he had to admit that it was scary as hell. He'd never thought that little sunshine Jeff could like such a dark, bloodthirsty show. It was something about two brothers hunting demons, one of them, Dean, was a really smart ass, the other one, Sam or Sammy or something, more like a broken boy. He seemed to always have nightmares that drove his brother insane – not because of the cries that hindered himself from falling asleep, but because he was scared about his little brother. Right now, they sat in their car, the older one screaming at the younger.

_'I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night - it's gonna kill you! Now listen to me. It wasn't your fault. '_

Jeff snuggled closer. "You know what? You're my Sammy!" His voice showed Nick that he was almost asleep, so he didn't reply at all, just holding his friend a bit tighter. A warm feeling rose in his stomach. The brothers had an awesome relationship, so if Jeff considered him 'his Sammy', it must mean something special, right?

Nick managed to watch the episode almost to the end before his own eyes closed as well, his chin resting on the blond hair of his best friend.

...

"I call this meeting an order. Where are Warblers Nick and Jeff?" Wes looked around the common room.

Kurt shyly raised a hand. "I... guess they're sick. Jeff wanted to call me yesterday and he didn't, so I tried to meet him after one of his classes, and one of his classmates told me he weren't there the whole day. And I also haven't seen Nick around."

"Not surprising.", Wes nodded. "They seem to be attached on the hip or something like that. Okay then, I wanted to start practicing their duet today. We could go over _Raise your glass_ once more, what do you think, Blaine?"

"So now I'm a replacement? Thanks a lot, Wes, but I don't feel well!" The curly haired boy jumped up and left the room. The remaining Warblers looked at each other perplexed.

"Cancel the meeting!", Thad pleaded quietly. David nodded in agreement. "It makes no sense to continue it today."

Wes sighed deeply. "We'll meet again tomorrow, same time and place. No go and enjoy the day."

The boys left the room, clearly exited about the unexpected free time. Kurt made his way straight to Blaine's dorm. Something seemed to be up with the boy, and we was a bit concerned. Blaine was the only real friend he'd found in Dalton until now. He couldn't deny that it felt like a bit more than friendship, every time they talked his heart started to beat faster. As he arrived the room he was looking for, he knocked softly at the door. "Blaine?"

"I'm not really in the mood, Kurt."

Kurt bit down his lip. He didn't wanted to annoy the boy, but he really wanted to know what was going on. He opened the door slightly. "Can I come in? Please?"

"Whatever."

Well, that wasn't a friendly invitation, but Kurt entered the room nonetheless. He walked over to his friend and simply sat next to him. He didn't say a single word, just looked at Blaine with worry in his eyes. It took a few minutes, but eventually the shorter boy sighed and began to speak. "What's going on with you and Jeff?"

"What?" Kurt felt caught off guard. "Nothing, we just wanted to meet yesterday and I was irritated because he didn't call me."

Blaine growled quietly. "So yesterday you were totally upset because of him and his silly friend, then he wants to talk with you alone and now you're dating?" He snorted and turned his head to the wall.

"Blaine Anderson, I don't recognize you right now." Kurt got up and walked towards the door. In the frame, he turned around one more time. "First of all, no, we're not dating. And if we were it would be none of your business. But, hell, Blaine. I know him for one day and can already tell that he's head over heels for Nick – who isn't silly by the way. I just tried to make friends, and I won't apologize for that. Come and talk to me when you made up your mind!" He felt like slamming the door, but closed it softly nonetheless. He didn't like loud noises, no matter if he caused them himself or not. "Stupid boy!", he muttered under his breath. Hadn't he known any better, he would have assumed that Blaine was jealous – but that was far away from all possibilities.

Kurt sighed. What should he do, now? He pulled out his phone to send a message before he slowly made his way down the hallway.

…

Jeff's eyes opened as his phone rang. He unlocked it and smiled slightly as he opened the message.

_Hey. I tried to catch you after classes, but you weren't there. Are you sick? - Kurt_

Right, Kurt... he wanted to meet him the day before. He started answering quickly.

_Sadly yeah – sorry for not calling you, I fell asleep yesterday when I went back to my room. - Jeff_

It took not more than a minute until he received a new message.

_Don't mind. Well, get better soon, Nick as well. - Kurt_

Jeff frowned. Nick. Where was Nick? He remembered watching Supernatural together on his bed, and then he'd blacked out. Had the boy left when he was asleep? But why did Kurt suspect him to be sick as well? The blonde left his bed and walked over to the bathroom. "Nicky?"

The brunette boy sat on the ground in the corner of the room, his forehead pressed against the wall while his body was curled up into a ball. When he heard his name, he opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Six. I thought you were sleeping."

"I thought you were fine!", Jeff answered, kneeing down besides his friend to observe him closer. Nick's face had become really pale, only his cheeks were burning in an unhealthy shade of red.

"Me too." Nick sighed an rubbed his eyes. "I think I overestimated my immune system."

"You should have woken me up!"

"Jeff, you needed to sleep. In fact, you look as you still need to. Go to bed."

"I won't let you sit on the floor. Come on, get up!" He grabbed Nick's hand and tried to pull the boy from the ground. "Gosh, Nicky, you're hot!"

It wasn't until Nick started chuckling darkly that Jeff noticed what he'd said. He threw him a death glare. "I mean, in a feverish way. Like, move your ass into my bed."

"You're so not making it any better!" Nick patted Jeffs arm as the boy blushed deeply. He wanted to snap back, but suddenly Nick's legs gave up and he stumbled.

"Careful!" Jeff grabbed hold to his friend. "Joking time is over, you're gonna take the medicine the nurse left and go sleeping with me. I don't care in which bed you go, but I don't want you to pass out in the middle of our room."

"You're angry." Nick's lower lip began to tremble as he turned away to take some pills out of the box.

"I'm not." Jeff sighed and hugged Nick. "I'm exhausted, I still feel like shit. And – judged by the looks – you're not any better. So can we just sleep, please?"

He went off to his bed, while Nick remained where he stood hesitantly. "Wouldn't it be weird if I came into your bed again?"

"I don't know. I don't care. I'm comfortable with it, and if you are too... why should we give a damn about what others may think about it?"

Nick smiled grateful and joined Jeff, who moved a little so Nick had enough space to lay down. The brunette immediately snuggled close to Jeff, who put his arm around Nick's waist. A secret smile appeared on his lips. "Sleep well, three!", he yawned. Nick hadn't the chance to answer. He'd already fallen asleep the second his head has touched the pillow.

…

"Wes, hey!"

The Asian turned as he heard someone shouting his name. "Kurt.", he smiled as he recognized the boy. "What are you doing here? On your way to Blaine?"

"On my way _from_ Blaine!", the boy corrected.

"You know what's wrong with him? He seemed a little moody today."

"I tried to find out, but honestly I have no idea." Kurt shrugged and smiled apologetically. "I'll go into my room, I have a lot of homework to do. See you later."

"Bye, Kurt." Wes waved with his right hand before continuing his way. He wanted to check on Jeff and Nick – not just because he was their mentor, but because the boys had become very important to him. He considered them as good friends, and friends look after another, right?

As he reached the door he knocked carefully, but no one answered. He tried the door knob, it turned out that it was unlocked. As quiet as he could he opened the door to look inside the room. The view inside made him smile. Nick and Jeff laid together in Jeff's bed, cuddled up to each other and deeply asleep.

"You're a creep, Wesley."

Wes flinched as someone spoke to him with low voice. "_Thaddeus. _What are you doing here?"

"I just came around and saw you... and now I'm curious. What's in there, stalker?"

Wes moved away from the door to let Thad look inside the room. The boy squeaked. "Aww, look at them. How long until Niff is a go? Wanna bet? I give them a week."

Wes shook his head. "Never. They are way to oblivious. I say two months. At least."

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys!  
Some of you may wonder why I'm posting this chapter again... well, the truth is: I didn't like it the way it was before. And since I got no comment from anyone I guess you did neither. If I'm wrong I'm sorry, I tried hard to write the next chapter, but I couldn't continue from the point I brought the story to. Don't know why, it was really weird.**

**So this is my second try, more angsty and slightly longer. Hope you like it now! ;)**

…

For the next two days, Jeff and Nick were captured in their room. Well, not literally, but they felt like that. Wes and Kurt had tried to visit them, but the two freshman had decided to let nobody in. It was worse enough that they were sick, they didn't want to infect all of their friends.

Finally, on Friday, the nurse gave the permission to go back to school.

"I never thought that one day I'll be happy that I have classes.", Jeff mused while he combed his hair. "It doesn't make sense in my head. How can anyone be looking forward to school?"

"I don't know. I'm a bit worried.", Nick admitted. "I hope I haven't missed too much."

"You'll catch up easily.", Jeff promised and turned away from the mirror to watch his friend intensely. "Are you sure that you're healthy again? You look tired."

"I'm good. I just haven't slept very well."

"Nightmares, again?" Jeff didn't wait for a response. He stepped over to Nick and put his hand on the shorter boy's shoulders. Nick nodded silently and relaxed visibly into the touch. "You should have awaken me."

"Jeff." Nick met his gaze. "I'm so thankful for all you've done for me, I really, really appreciate it. But I can't wake up you every night, it isn't fair. You need your sleep, too. And..."

"I don't care.", Jeff interrupted. "Please, tell me next time. You don't have to go through it alone."

Nick felt his eyes tearing up, but he blinked the tears away before they had the chance to fall. "Why would you do that?"

"Because..." Jeff blushed deeply and looked away for a second. "I don't know. I just want to. Please, Nicky, promise me!"

"Promise!" Nick's voice was raw. "And, Jeff? Thank you. Seriously, I don't know what to say. Just... thank you!" He stroke the blonde's cheeks gently with his thumbs.

"You're welcome, three." Jeff winked and the mood lightened up again. Nick couldn't suppress a smile himself.

"Okay, six." Before they left for breakfast, Nick pulled Jeff close and hugged him softly. Jeff tightened his grip, not really wanting to let the brunette go again. "Come on, I guess we're already late!", Nick whispered into his ear, and Jeff suppressed a sigh. Together they crossed the distance between their room and the cafeteria within minutes. They were greeted with happy cries from the Warbler's table.

"Look who's back there!"

"You're alive – good thing to know."

"The Niff! We missed you!"

"The Niff?", Nick asked his best friend as they sat down. "Is it possible that they've gotten any weirder in these days?"

"I never thought that it is possible, but... yes. - Oh come on, Thad, I can totally butter my bread on my own." He slapped the older students hand away as he tried to grab his plate.

"But you look so small and pale!", Thad defeated himself and reached out for the plate again.

Nick snickered quietly. Wes gave him a knowing look. "I won't laugh if I were you. Once he's finished with Jeff, he'll come over to you."

…

_How could I ever be happy about going back to classes_, Jeff wondered silently as he sat in his history lessons, one of the few classes he didn't share with Nick. Fortunately, it was the last one for the day. The teacher had decided to show them a movie about world war two, and even if it was shocking to see what people are capable of, he had this topic at least four times in the past years. He tried really hard to concentrate, but his mind kept wandering.

He wasn't sure how he felt about the past days. Of course, being sick never was fun. Being sick while sharing a bathroom with a boy who didn't feel any better even less. But he liked the fact that he and Nick had been so close to each other all the time. They'd spent most of the days cuddled up on a bed and watching movies, or simply talking about whatever came to their minds.

He'd told Nick so much about his family and his life in Florida, ending with an invitation for the shorter boy to spend the holidays with him. Nick wasn't sure if his parents would let him, but he hoped for the best.

There was no chance to deny it anymore. He'd fallen head over heels for the brunette. It wasn't just his protective instincts that wanted to make sure that Nick was safe, it was much more. He loved how Nick's eyes began to sparkle whenever he was exited about something, the way how different his voice sounded when he talked about things he liked. Then there was this certain connection between him and his friend, the complete trust in each other. He knew that if he had something to get off his chest, he could talk to Nick anytime, even if it was three in the morning. He hoped that Nick knew that, too.

But Jeff was scared. It was a fact that Nick had been hurt badly, and the last thing he could use was to know that Jeff had feelings he most likely couldn't reciprocate. He didn't wanted to ruin their friendship with this little... or not so little crush.

Jeff snapped out of his thoughts when the bell rang. The teacher gave them a homework that would be easily to answer when he'd been paying attention to the movie, but he was positive that a little research in the internet would do it as well. He packed his stuff together and went back to his room.

As he opened the door, Nick already sat cross-legged on his bed, reading a book that he needed for a lesson on Monday. His face lit up in a beautiful was as he recognized the blonde boy. "There you are. It was pretty boring without you.", he greeted and closed the book.

"I know what you mean." Jeff tossed his bag in the corner, not caring about the homework he had to do. It was Friday, after all, and there was plenty of time left at the weekend.

Nick ran his tongue across his lips, obviously nervous about something. "Do you mind... would you sit with me? I... I... want to talk... nothing bad... I hope, I..."

"What's wrong, Nicky?" Jeff immediately crawled over to his friend and watched him with concern. "You were okay in the morning. Did anything happen in class?"

"No... no, don't worry." Nick twisted his hair with his fingers and looked at his feet. "Everything's okay. Forget that I've said anything. I'm fine."

"I don't think that I can!", Jeff admitted and nudged Nick gently. "Come on, I thought you know that you can trust me."

"I do. But I would just mess things up." Nick sighed deeply. Jeff frowned in confusion. What was the boy talking about?

"Nick. Nothing you'll say would scare me away. I'm your friend, okay?"

"But... but... I don't know what to say. Shit, I don't even know what to _think_!" Suddenly there were tears in his eyes. Jeff swallowed, his eyes bright with emotions. It almost hurt him physically to see his friend getting worked up like this.

"It's okay, Nicky. Shh, everything's okay. You don't have to talk, just don't... don't cry."

"You're doing it again!", Nick stated, a small smile spreading over his face, leaving Jeff confused.

"I do... what exactly?"

"Defending me. Protecting me. Everything." Nick wiped his tears away, but still refused to look at Jeff. "You never seem to be annoyed when I start to cry like a little girl, you're just there for me."

"Because I care for you!", Jeff reminded him forcefully.

"I know. I only wished..." Nick's voice broke again. "You're doing so much for me. So I think I owe you the truth, right? Even if it means that I'll lose you as a friend..."

"You'll never..."

"_Don't!_" Jeff flinched as Nick cut him off harshly. "Sorry, but... you never lied to me, and that's one of the things that make you so special. One of the reasons why I like you so much. Don't promise anything when you don't know that you can keep it."

"Okay.", Jeff answered simply. He couldn't imagine anything that would cause him to cut his friendship with Nick off, though. When Nick finally spoke up again, he did it with a voice that was barely a whisper. As much as Jeff tried, he couldn't understand a single word. "Mh, Nick... I can't catch up with you..."

Nick sighed again, rubbing his face with both of his hands as he rolled his head back. "I think I... may... I'm in love with you, Jeff. And if... I could understand if you don't want to talk to me ever again, and... I know it's ridiculous, to fall for the first person that ever was nice to me, but that isn't the reason, it's just that you are... you are... _you._ You are an amazing person, the best friend I ever had. And... I don't wanna lose you. Oh shit, _shit!_ I shouldn't have said anything. Can we forget it? Please? Oh god... I'll leave. Don't be mad at me..." He jumped up to run out of the room, but found himself being held back by Jeff's hand.

"Nick...", he began, but his voice faded as he noticed that he wasn't able to form any sentences. He cupped Nick's face with his other hand and forced him to look up. The shorter boy shifted and tried to break free.

"Jeff, please. I'm sorry."

"Don't..." Jeff wanted to say so many things, but he couldn't. All he was able to was to gaze into Nick's eyes, hoping that his friend would understand.

He did not. As the silence between them became unbearable to Nick, he attempted to break free once more, successful this time. Before Jeff had the chance to react, the smashing sound of the door falling close was the only thing that stayed with him in this room.

_Nick was in love with him._ Jeff couldn't believe it. How hard had he tried to fight his feelings down to keep Nick safe and don't bring him into an awkward situation. Had he known that Nick felt the same way about him, he'd... What had he done? Standing there and watching Nick running away from him? _Fuck!_ Jeff snapped out of his trance. He had to find Nick.

Now.

…

How could he ever get back into his room? How could he look into Jeff's face ever again? What if the boy was already moving out while he was sitting here? What if he lost his best friend... again?

Nick cursed himself for telling Jeff what he felt. In his mind it had been so easy. The possibility that Jeff liked him back wasn't too far away. But in reality... Nick wiped away the fresh tears that managed to escape his eyes. He had to face the truth. He should have known better as to think that he and Jeff would fall into each others arms and... ride into the sunset or whatever.

This time, not even the small pond where he loved to hide from the world, had a calming effect on him. He was blind for the beauty of this place. He just remembered the one time he'd brought Jeff with him, when they sat together on this bench, joking how hidden this area was and that it made it an amazing make-out place... Well, Jeff had been joking. Nick had been trying to hide how bashful the conversation made him feel... effortless, of course.

What had he just done?

…

Jeff ran through the hallway. He still hasn't found Nick, and his concern grew with every second. Where could he be? He'd already been in the library, in the practice room and in the cafeteria: No Nick. Jeff cursed inwardly and continued his search.

"Hey!" He crashed into another person. He didn't care, if he was honest. He had to find Nick, nothing else mattered.

"Sorry!", he mumbled and tried to get away, but a hand grabbed his wrist and hold him in place.

"Jeff, what's going on?"

Jeff finally looked up and met Kurt's eyes. "I have to find Nick!", he rambled. "I messed up, Kurt, I really did. And now I can't find him, I have no idea where he could be. And I have to find him, I really do, I..."

"Geez, Jeff. Take a breath." Kurt put his hands on the younger boy's shoulders and fixed him with his eyes. "What happened?"

"He told me that he loves me, Kurt. He... Nick... loves me! And all I did was standing there, mouth wide open and... he ran. Why haven't I hold him back? Why haven't I told him what... that... I..."

Kurt looked at the upset boy for another moment, then pulled him into a tight embrace. "Calm yourself, Jeff. You know him, better than anyone else here. So think carefully. Where could he be?"

He tried to comfort the boy and help him in his own way, without noticing the person standing on the opposite side of the hallway that was watching him.

…

Nick's head flew up as he heard footsteps coming closer. _Please, let it not be Jeff. Or please, let it be him. Or..._

"Oh, sorry. I didn't thought that somebody was here. Usually I come here when..."

"... the day couldn't be any worse?", Nick suggested and offered Blaine a weak smile. The older boy looked at him and nodded, causing Nick to sigh deeply. "Yeah, me too. But I can go somewhere else if you want me to..."

"No, it's fine. Just... mind if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Nick shifted a bit to give Blaine enough space on the wooden bench. He hesitated for a while, before he tilted his head towards the usually so preppy and happy boy. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know. Maybe. You?"

"No." Nick sighed again and rubbed his hands over his face. "But I'm thankful for the tiniest bit of distraction."

"It's Kurt." Blaine bit his bottom lip hardly before he continued. "I... I think I may be in love with him. Yeah, I'm pretty sure actually. I haven't told him because I know what he'd been through, I wanted to leave him enough time to find himself. Well, now it looks like he have found someone else, too." Blaine let out a shaky breath, somewhere between laughing and crying. "I think it's Jeff."

Nick had already opened his mouth to soothe the boy, but the last statement made him close it again. He didn't want anyone to know about his crush, and he was sure that his voice would betray him if he tried to talk now. But it all made sense now. That's why Jeff couldn't say anything before. He was already in love with Kurt, and he had been afraid to tell him about it because he didn't want to hurt him anymore. Maybe right now they sat in Kurt's room, cuddled up on his bed and thought about a way to tell him that he would never have a chance. Kurt was beautiful, Nick had to admit that. Why should Jeff want him if he could have someone like Kurt Hummel?

"... I saw them hugging closely in the middle of the school." Nick snapped out of his thoughts. He hadn't caught much of the things Blaine said, but it was enough. Blaine, on the other hand, seemed slightly relieved. "You're a good listener, Nick. I'm... sorry that I yelled at you about the solo and Kurt, you know... I did you wrong. So, if I can return the favor, just tell me..."

Nick shook his head absently. "No, I... I'm just staying here. I'm fine."

Blaine frowned. Was it possible that the younger boy looked even more broken as he did before? "Do you need me to stay with you?", he asked.

"No, but thanks, Blaine. I just want to think about some things."

"Then I'll go now. It's getting cold, maybe you should..."

"I'm fine!", Nick interrupted, losing his patience. He buried his head in his hands and refused to look up once more.

"Okay..." Blaine wasn't convinced, not at all. But if being alone was what Nick needed right now, he would let him. He made his way back to the school.

"Blaine!", he heard someone calling his name. _Kurt!_ Blaine hissed, he couldn't deal with him right now. "Blaine, wait!"

"What do you want, Kurt?", he asked, more harshly as he planned to.

Kurt stepped back a few inches, clearly startled by his reaction. "Whoa, what's wrong, buddy?"

"Doesn't matter!" Blaine flinched inwardly by the sight of his friend, who looked at him unbelieving and sad, but he needed to be unsympathetic right now. It was his way of self-defense.

"Have you seen Nick? Jeff is looking for him all the time." Kurt snapped back.

"Sure." Blaine simply raised a brow and tried to make his way back to his dorm, but Kurt stepped in his way and crossed his arms.

"Where is your problem, Blaine? Or, keep it to yourself if you want to, I don't care. I just want to know if you have seen Nick."

"Yeah. Outside, by the small lake. But I don't think he wants any company right now."

"Jeff needs to talk to him!", Kurt explained and turned to tell the younger boy what he'd just found out.

"Oh, _that!_" Blaine frowned slightly. "He already knows."

"He already knows _what?_" Kurt looked at his friend with wide eyes, obviously completely confused.

"You know what. I told him." Blaine became more than a little annoyed by that time. Why was Kurt acting so dumb?"

"And how did you know?"

"I saw you! It was obvious."

"Me? How am I involved?" Kurt began walking up and down, but stopped all of a sudden to face him again. His eyes steered into Blaine's ones. "Blaine Anderson, what have you told him?"

Blaine suppressed a sigh. Hopefully his voice wouln'td give too much of his feelings away. "That you and Jeff are in a relationship... or at least close to it."

"We... what? Blaine, you... no... please, please tell me you're kidding!" Kurt paled visibly.

"Don't deny it. Like I said, I saw you!" Blaine's voice became louder.

Kurt threw his hands in the air and cursed under his breath. "What exactly have you seen?"

"You two, wrapped into each other in the middle of the hallway. Why would you do that if you didn't want to make it official?"

"Because there's nothing going on. Nothing!", Kurt repeated annoyed and slightly hurt. "You were wrong, Blaine, terribly wrong. I just tried to comfort him because he was upset. And... I don't have time to explain it right now. We have to find Nick. I'll just call Jeff, wait a minute..." He pulled his phone out of his bag and searched for Jeff's number. "Jeff? Listen, I may have an idea where he is. ... No, no! You stay in your dorm, in case he comes back. ... I call you as soon as I know more, I promise!"

"What was that about?" Blaine narrowed his eyes and bit his lip lightly. Suddenly he wasn't so sure about what he thought he knew anymore.

Kurt shifted impatiently. "I'll explain it later. Can you show me where he is?"

"Of course." Blaine moved a few steps, then hesitated and turned back to his friend. "Kurt?" His eyes already told Kurt everything he needed to know and made it almost impossible to him to stay mad at the shorter boy.

"Yeah?", he asked, voice soft as velvet.

"Sorry!"

**TBC**

**So once more, sorry about the change. Let me know what you think about this one :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**She's alive! Yay!  
I'm so, so sorry for the long break. I was on summer camp for a few weeks (and damn, kids can really be little monsters if they want to... but I still can't think of a job I would rather do.)  
Then, when I was back home, I became sick. Sucks, I missed so much of this summer. :(  
But now I'm back again and full of ideas and I hope that there are a few people left who still are interested in this story. ;) And I apologize for this chapter is kinda short, it's more like a filler. I promise the next one will be better.**

* * *

As Kurt and Blaine finally arrived the place where Blaine had talked to Nick, the boy wasn't around anymore. "I swear, he has been here. Right here!" Blaine pointed to the old bench accusingly and turned back to Kurt, who was biting his lip in concern.

"Nick?", he called loudly and waited for an answer. "Nick, can you hear me?" He gazed into the sky and moved a few steps forwards. "Nick, please! It's gonna be raining soon, come out! I can explain everything, it's not like you think it is! Nick!"

Blaine started to yell the younger boy's name, too. But just like Kurt, he never got a reply. By now, he was worried, too. He couldn't stop thinking that if something happened to Nick, it would be his fault. "Do you think he's back in Dalton? Maybe he'd taken another way back.", he suggested hopefully.

Kurt shook his head in unbelief, but took his phone out of his pocket nonetheless. He pressed a few keys and waited for the other person to pick up. "Jeff? … No, I was wrong. Have you seen him? ... Okay, listen to me. Don't freak out. Go to Wes, immediately. We'll meet you there. … Jeff, please... we'll find him, don't worry!"

…

Wes and Thad looked up from their homework as someone knocked at their door. No, knocked wasn't the right word, bumped hit it more.

"That's never a good sign!", Thad sighed while Wes already rushed towards the door and opened it. Just a second later he pulled a blonde, desperate boy into the room.

"Jeff? What's wrong?" He guided him to the bed and made the boy sit down. Thad grabbed a box of tissues before he moved over to them. "Jeff, please. Tell me what's going on."

Jeff didn't even lift his head to look at the older boys. "You have to find Nick!", he whispered under tears. "Please, just... find Nick."

Thad and Wes shared a confused look. "I'm afraid you have to explain that a little more detailed, Jeff.", Wes began carefully. "What's the matter about Nick? And why is it making you so sad?"

"I... it doesn't matter. He ran out, and he didn't come back. And Kurt couldn't find him, so please, please..." His voice faded away as he noticed that he started rambling. Wes was just about to ask what Kurt had to do with all of this, as it knocked again. This time Thad went to answer the door and was not surprised as he found Kurt and Blaine in front of him. Kurt was at Jeff's side in an instant and wrapped his arms around the younger boy closely.

"I'm sorry.", he whispered, so low that nobody but Jeff could hear him. "I'm so sorry. But we'll find him."

Wes eyed his friends sceptically."Would someone care to explain what's going on?"

Jeff pressed his lips together and shook his head as he felt Wes' eyes on him. "I can't!", he whispered tiredly and buried his head in Kurt's neck.

Kurt pulled him closer and sighed. "Okay, I'll try. There was a... misunderstanding between Jeff and Nick, which caused Nick to run out. Then, there was another misunderstanding between Blaine and myself, causing him to leave as well. He met Nick outside near the pond and talked to him about the thing he thought he had seen, which perfectly fitted into the theory Nick made up in his mind. Obviously Blaine couldn't know that, so he returned and met me, who was already looking for Nick. He told me what he'd told Nick and we went to talk to him to get things cleared, but... he's gone. And we can't find him."

Wes tried to follow him, but he failed miserably. "I don't get it!", he admitted slowly. Kurt opened his mouth, without any doubt to explain the whole scenario once more, but Wes waved him off. "It doesn't matter right now. What I got and what I see is that Nick is gone and you are worried. And that's the most important thing for now." He started walking up and down in his room as he were thinking. "Jeff, I think you should go back to your room and wait..."

"No!", Jeff cried out. "I can't sit there and wait and do nothing while all of you..."

"Yes, you can. We need you to. You have to call us immediately if Nick comes back. But I think you shouldn't be alone. Kurt, would you..."

"If you don't mind...", Blaine interrupted him and studied his feet. "I could stay with Jeff. I have to talk to him anyway."

"Okay." Wes nodded. "Then the two of you should go back to Nick and Jeff's room. Hurry. If you hear anything call me, Thad or Kurt, okay?"

The boys nodded and walked off. Once Jeff was out of sight, Wes sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Why do I sense that the whole situation is a lot more messed up than I already think it is?", he grumbled and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, that's how we do it. I don't want anyone to get out there alone, it's getting really dark. Thad, call David and ask him to come with you. Kurt, you'll accompany me."

"But we can check a lot more places if we just split...", Kurt began, but was interrupted by Wes in an instant.

"No. You came to me to ask for help, so we're doing it my way. When we haven't found him in... let's say one and a half hour, we'll meet again right here."

"And what happens then?"

"Then, we have to ask the teachers or the principal for help." Wes frowned. "But I would prefer to find him in time."

…

"Nick? Nick!" Kurt rubbed his neck as his throat started burning. "Wes, maybe we should go to another place. If he was here, he would have answered."

"I'm not so sure!" Wes checked his watch. They were already searching for an hour, the time was running out. He didn't want to inform any teachers, Nick would get in serious trouble. "Could you try to call him again, please?"

"He won't answer...", Kurt muttered, but took out his phone to dial the number nonetheless. "See? He..."

"Shh!" Wes raised his hand and starred into the darkness.

"Wes? What's going on?"

"Do you hear anything?"

Kurt fell silent and listened intensely. "You're right!", he said hesitantly. "It's... Pink Floyd?" He frowned and shook his head.

"End the call."

Kurt did as he was told, and the music faded away. They simply looked at each other for a few seconds, then Kurt called for Nick again and the boys hurried in the direction the music could be heard from.

"Nick!", Wes yelled again, but again there was no answer. The music became louder with every step. "Nick, if you hear me, it's Wes. Please, I need to talk to you."

"Go away." The answer was so weak and quiet, it startled Wes.

"Nicky." A few more steps and he noticed a body on the ground. "Fuck, Nick. Get up, you'll catch a cold."

"I don't care. Leave me alone."

"And then? What?"

"I don't know, I... what is he doing here?" Nick finally had noticed Kurt.

The tall boy cleared his throat and came closer. "Nick, I know what Blaine had told you, but it's all a big misunderstanding. Please, believe me."

"Why should I?" Nick's voice was cold, but Wes detected an endless sadness behind those words. Someone really had to explain what was going on as soon as they'd put Nick into his warm bed.

"Because it's the truth. Nick, honey. We were so worried. Jeff is so worried!"

"I bet he is." Nick laughed darkly.

"Kurt, could you call the others and tell them that we found him?" Wes waited till the boy started a conversation with whoever he'd called first and got on his knees.

"Nicky, come on. Whatever it is, we can talk about it as soon as we are in Dalton again. I don't want you to get sick again."

"I said I don't c..."

"You did. But I care about you, Nick, even if you don't. Jeff cares about you. Kurt, Thad, David, Blaine... they all are so worried and want to know that you are safe."

"I don't want to... see... anyone. I'll... just stay here."

"You won't." Wes thought about everything for a moment. "Listen to me. You can stay this night with me. I'll ask Thad if could sleep in your bed tonight, so you have to face nobody except of me. And I've seen you already. Okay?"

"Promise?" Nick's tired voice reminded Wes on a little child, and damn, he was a child. He was _his_ child.

"I promise.", he agreed softly. "Come on, Nicky." He got up and pulled the boy with him, hugging him for a moment. "Geez, you feel like ice!" He slipped out of his coat and wrapped it around the small frame of the boy in front of him. "Let's go."

As soon as they started walking, Kurt joined the group again, but stayed behind in the background. He was a little hurt that Nick won't believe him, but the younger boy was obviously exhausted. Tomorrow was still a day to get things right. As Wes asked him to tell the others that they would meet them in Nick's and Jeff's room, he did without asking any questions. "You'll see us later?", he asked eventually as they stood in front of the door of Wes' room.

"As soon as I can leave him alone!" Wes sighed deeply, took Nick's hand and pulled him towards his room.

…

It took Wes almost another hour to get Nick to sleep. He'd expected the boy to cry and hopefully talk to him, but he didn't. He didn't do anything, in fact. Nothing but staring at the ceiling. Wes wasn't sure if his comforting words reached the boy at all, but he still decided to stay with him until he fell asleep.

Now he was on his way to Nick's and Jeff's room, where the others surely still were waiting for him. Wes really hoped that they could figure out how to handle the situation really quickly, he was pretty exhausted and wanted nothing more than crawling into his bed and sleeping for 10 hours straight. But who was he kidding? Warbler dramas were never easy to solve.

He opened the door and looked at the four people in front of him sharply. "Before you ask, he's sleeping now. And that's all I can tell you because he refused to talk to me. So now would be a great time to explain what's going on."

"I just want to talk to Nick. I can get things right, I promise. Please, Wes, please!" Jeff begged, but the Asian shook his head.

"I promised that he could stay with me tonight. He didn't want to see anyone. I won't break a promise."

"Than I guess I'll stay here tonight?" Thad asked with a little smile.

"If you don't mind..."

"Everything for the kids, hu?" Wes grinned in response. Thad almost never failed to make him feel better.

"Now come on, people. I can't stay for too long in case he wakes up."

Jeff quickly looked at Kurt, who nodded encouraging. The blonde took a deep breath before he told Wes everything that had happened. From time to time, Kurt and Blaine cut in and explained the parts Jeff couldn't know. After he finished his story, Wes buried his head in his hands and sighed deeply.

"You know? Everything could be so easy if one of you would just learn to think before you act..."

**TBC**

**So, everybody who still sticks with me... I love you guys. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is the next chapter... I had to fight a lot with it. It's easy to mess things up, but hard to turn them right again. Well... I hope you like how it turned out. :)**

When Nick opened his eyes, the room was lit with sunlight. He sat up slowly and turned his head in confusion. This wasn't his room, but it was familiar. It belonged to... Wes and Thad? Yeah, of course. But why...

_Oh._

_Right._

Nick felt his cheeks heat up. He'd run away like a coward, and presumably everybody knew by now. How should he ever face one of the others again? Especially Jeff? Now he could completely forget about the blonde, even to dream about him was too much right now. Nick had to face the truth. He'd really, really messed up.

With a little sigh on his lips, he crawled out of Thad's bed and sneaked into the bathroom. Of course he hadn't got his toothbrush or other stuff here, but he wanted at least to splash a little water into his face and comb his hair before he had to face his friends. If he could still call them friends. He had been pretty bitchy to Kurt, if he remembered right. Nick winced as he shot a look into the mirror. The guy who looked back at him was a wreck and could _totally_ not be him. He poured water into his face and tried to smooth down his hair. As he felt at least half human again, he left the bathroom, just to find Wes sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Good morning!" The Asian smiled kindly.

"Morning," Nick mumbled and ran a hand through his hair nervously, messing it up again.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I think, I... Wes, this is awkward!"

"Sit with me!" Wes patted on the free spot besides him and waited for Nick to join him on the bed. "First of all, everything's okay. It don't has to be awkward!"

"But everybody knows..."

"They don't know anything, Nick. And those who know, those who were outside looking for you yesterday won't say a word. I promise."

Nick smiled weakly. "Thanks Wes. But I feel so stupid. How can I face Jeff ever again?"

"You have to meet him sooner or later," Wes admitted. "But I'm pretty sure it won't be too bad. If I were you, I would go and talk to him right now. It's better than torturing yourself all the time."

"You... may be right." Nick nodded and hugged Wes before he got up. "Thanks again."

"Hey, Nick?" Wes called after him as he was about to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me to listen. Listen carefully."

The whole way back to his room Nick kept his head tilted down, wondering about the cryptic words Wes gave him on the way. He was really, really thankful not to meet one of his friends, he hadn't known what to say if someone asked him what happened. Then he reached the right room. Not knowing if Jeff was in there or not, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

Of course Jeff had to be there. Nick felt his heart beating faster and his cheeks turning slightly red. "Hey," he mumbled, not daring to look up.

"Nick!" Jeff sounded relieved. "You're back!"

"Yeah, I think so..." Nick, who'd noticed the slight trembling in Jeff's voice, now looked up and saw his roommate sitting on the floor, his guitar resting on his legs. His hair was a mess, just like his own was, and his face was pale. But the worst thing was that the happy smile that just _belonged_ to Jeff's face was missing.

"Mh, Nick. I... I'm not good with words. I mean... I talk a lot, you know, I could talk the whole day through. But when it's important, my brain doesn't really seem to work. Sometimes I fall silent, sometimes I just start to ramble and...oh, you see? That's exactly what I'm talking about. But I remembered a song I'd like to sing to you, would you... listen?"

_'Listen. Listen carefully'_ Wes words were in his mind again. Was that what the Asian meant? He simply slit down on the ground, sitting opposite to Jeff.

Jeff cleared his throat before he started singing and playing the guitar. The first few words were a bit shaky, but his voice became stronger during the first verse.

_This is something I can't hide  
Can't throw it away  
This is something I can't fake  
They know you're away  
They know how to break me  
They know you're far away_

_If this sadness takes its place  
I'll free the space it needs  
I'm hiding in the place  
Where we share the days  
Where we share the nights  
Go through dark and light_

Jeff glanced up and smiled shyly before he entered the chorus.

_Could you believe I'm waiting for someone  
Could you believe I'm holding the night with my hands  
Alone in the night on my own  
I feel the pain inside me  
Only you can heal me_

Nick couldn't do anything but stare at Jeff. He was positive that if he tried to speak or just moved, he would burst out in tears.

_This is something I can't take  
I feel so lame  
There is nothing in my mind  
But you all the way  
You rule every moment  
You're the air around me_

_Love's a lonely road sometimes  
I keep moving on  
Towards the moment you'll be mine  
A long way to go  
To where we belong  
We'll be there before long _

_Could you believe I'm waiting for someone  
Could you believe I'm holding the night with my hands  
Alone in the night on my own  
I feel the pain inside me  
Only you can heal me _

Suddenly Nick noticed that he wasn't the only one who had to fight against his tears. Jeff's eyes sparkled suspiciously. Was it possible... was it?

_By sharing this moonlight  
And the tears in my midnight cry  
I need to hear you breathe by  
Me in the night, deep in the night_

_Could you believe I'm waiting for someone  
Could you believe I'm holding the night_

Jeff stopped completely for a second and locked his eyes with Nick's, not letting him go during the rest of the song.

_Could you believe I'm waiting for someone  
Could you believe I'm holding the night with my hands  
Alone in the night on my own  
I feel the pain inside me  
Only you can heal me_

_Alone in the night on my own  
I feel the pain inside me  
Only you can heal me..._

After he finished, Nick opened his mouth, but there was no word coming out. He was way too confused to remember how to actually talk.

Jeff shifted and put his guitar away. He ran a hand through his light blonde hair and looked at his best friend pleadingly. "Nick, please... say something. Anything. Just..."

"But you're in love with Kurt..." Nick began, completely overwhelmed.

"No, I'm not. I like him a lot, as a friend. But the one I'm actually in love with, is... you. Nick. And I'm sorry that I didn't found the right words yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't hold you back as you ran out. I was just... surprised, I guess. I a good way. But then I realized how it must have seemed to you, but... it was too late. I couldn't find you anymore. I asked Kurt for help and he hugged me to calm me down, and that's what Blaine saw. That's what made him think we were in love with each other. I know that because he told me what he told you. And, oh god, Nick. Everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong!" The tears streamed over his face as he talked, a sight that broke Nick's heart into pieces.

"Don't cry. Please, don't cry!" he begged, but he noticed that he was losing his grip as well. "Geez, I'm sorry, six! I'm so so sorry! I just... panicked. And then with what Blaine told me, it was all just so hopeless. I didn't know what I should do, so I ran... again. Jeff, please... I'm sorry!"

"You scared me!" Jeff wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Like, _really _scared me. I thought you would do something stupid, and I was so scared to never see you again. Don't you ever. Dare. To do that again!" His facial expressions showed the anger that rose in his chest, now that the fear was gone.

"I promise!" Nick sobbed, struggling to compose himself again. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I can do..."

Jeff couldn't keep up his anger. He was simply not able to feel anything bad about Nick. "If you still mean what you've said yesterday," he began softly. "I would suggest you dry your face and kiss me."

Nick wiped his face as well. "Don't you think we should talk about it?" he asked nervously.

"We will. Later!" Jeff promised, leaning a bit towards Nick. Nick copied this action and closed the gap between them until their lips touched. It was sweet and innocent, just like a first kiss should be. It felt indescribable. Nick couldn't really name it. It wasn't a firework, nor was it a sparkle. It was more like a quiet flame, but still it caused a heat that none of the boys wanted to live without ever again.

"Wow!", Nick whispered as he pulled back.

"Wow!" Jeff replied. He smiled and licked his lips. "That was amazing!"

Nick reached out and wrapped his arms around Jeff, pulling him close for another kiss. This one was... not so innocently after all. It heated up pretty quickly, but Jeff was well aware that he was stepping on thin ice. Nick was still new to this, and he didn't want to trigger a panic attack by rushing too much. So the blonde was the one that broke the kiss. It was one of the hardest moves he'd ever made.

"Nick!" he breathed, resting his forehead against the brunettes. "We should take it slowly!"

"I know!" Nick answered and sighed. "And I'm sorry. I know you said this because of me. It must be nerve-wrecking."

"Don't be sorry. It's true, it's because of you. But it's because I care about you. It's because I'm in love with you and I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"You're too good to be true!" Nick mumbled, snuggling into Jeff's side. "I think I'll wake up in a few minutes just to notice that I'm still in Thad's bed and – oww! What are you doing?"

"Just pinched you. You know, to make sure you're not dreaming!" Jeff chuckled. "Why are we still sitting on the floor, three? Let's at least move over to my bed. Or yours. I don't care."

Nick pecked him on the lips again before he actually got up and pulled Jeff with him. The blonde had managed to light the mood up again. The two boys fell onto a mattress and immediately cuddled close together. "I still can't believe..."

"I know. Me neither."

"Jeff?" Nick popped himself up onto his elbows. "What does that make us now?"

Jeff caressed Nick's face gently before he answered. "I don't know. Well... Nick Duval, would you be my boyfriend?"

"I would be honored!" Nick couldn't suppress a wide smile as his heart started to flatter again. The butterflies danced in his stomach and he couldn't do anything but throwing himself onto Jeff and hugging him so close that the blonde had serious problems to breathe.

"I love you!" Jeff whispered into Nick's hair over and over again. "I love you."

**TBC**

**Hey Dewrr, no cliffhanger this time! ;)  
I know I'm not the best in writing fluff, I hope it's not too cheesy. **


End file.
